Piece of Her Wings UNTOUCHED
by Sadame X
Summary: UNDER REVISION Two angels in Paradise fall in a forbidden love, was caught, and paid for the price by being banished from Gaea. Will she leave on a journey to remember her forgotten past and gather the pieces of her wings?
1. Prologue

**Piece of Her Wings**

_Prologue _

There was complete chaos when the whole of heaven and earth shuddered with that titanic lurch that shook the very foundations of Paradise. What were majestic trees and crystalline lakes a few moments ago are now turning into a graveyard of ashes and dust, as the overwhelming power of the Elder was unleashed. She had nowhere safe to go; everything around her is dissolving right in front of her eyes. The mythical place that people have always dreamt of known as Paradise is being destroyed by the terrifying wrath of the Elder, the Ancient Angel that guarded its gates.

She didn't remember where she was when it had started. The thundering noise that tore Paradise asunder still echoed in her head. Her wings trembled with every feather as she pressed her hands tighter against her ears, trying very hard to erase the echoes she still hears so clearly.

The sound of Paradise being destroyed.

And yet, she heard another sound. It was the sound of her name being called with a note of urgency. Even though she was almost paralyzed with fear, the voice was enough to make her come out from her shielded hiding place. She tried to stand up, but her knees failed her as they buckled underneath her weight. Slowly, she fumbled her way back to find him. Now she looked more like the hated snake in the Garden of Eden as she crawled on the shaking earth, rather than an angel that she was supposed to be.

But she wanted to find him. She wanted to be with him. As she wounded herself crawling through the ruins of this once lush and otherworldly paradise, she realized that there is only one thing that she wants now, the one thing that she needed. And it surprised her, for it wasn't the answer that she was seeking for; it wasn't life or salvation, she didn't want a second chance or a place in paradise anymore. It was _him_ that she wanted. She realized that it was his voice that gave her the strength; it was his voice that kept her going on until now. She knew that she had to be with him, so she would survive this turmoil. She knew that if she'd be beside him, everything would turn out fine.

If she was with him, then everything will be okay.

Even if heaven and earth falls apart, it will be okay.

Even if Paradise turns into dust, it will be okay.

As long as they're together when the world comes to an end, then it will be okay!

The shaken angel groped her way out of the befallen trees and widening fissures as the sounds of wreckage still howled from above her. Large pieces of rocks from the towering mountains fell down like merciless rain on the forests of Paradise. The fields were suddenly awash with death and grief as the animals that roamed free lay innocent and lifeless on the ground. And all she could see everywhere is ugly red—as the fiery sun burned the sky an angry red, she could no longer discern the difference of the crimson sky and the red earth, where blood flowed like a great river. But even though the death and destruction of everything around her robbed her of every last bit of hope and courage that she had, she was determined to find her angel, and be with him one last time.

And then, she saw him. Her glorious and valiant angel stood defiantly at the very edge of Paradise. Even in this current turmoil, she couldn't help to be in awe at his perfection. Even now that his crimson blood had stained his slimly muscular body, she still saw him as an artfully created masterpiece.

Tears of unutterable longing and relief started to cloud her eyes as she inched slowly towards him, wounds and cuts on her hands and feet stinging her. She had now just realized that she was very, very tired. She had exhausted every single ounce of energy that flows in her body in her desperate search to be with the man she loved, to reach and be with her beloved angel.

The bloodied angel turned his face and met her with a steady gaze. And then to her, he simply and sadly instructed, "Do not come near me."

There was a certain hopelessness in his voice which returned her palpable fear once again. As she fixed her tearful eyes on her angel's rebellious face, she could now clearly see the pain that was hidden in his eyes. Somehow, she knew that the battle he was fighting was not in their favor.

And she also understood that her angel also knew.

And then, they were not alone anymore. The Ancient Angel, immortal and unassailable, strode out with blazing eyes and boundless strength, clutching a majestic sword in his hands. Paradise shuddered as his mighty footsteps quaked the earth as he walked closer towards the last standing angel. Terror filled her eyes as the Elder strode closer to him, and only one coherent sound came unbidden from her lips. "No!" she howled, but it was already too late.

She reached out desperately to her beautiful angel, having no more strength to run to him and hold him, so she could at least die with him, to save her from the fate of eternal torment by being torn away from him in their deaths. Her angel was helpless in the chastisement of the Elder. And, knowing that his struggle to break free was futile, he crisply shouted to her as he anticipated his punishment. "Fly! Fly away from here! Fly as far as you can away from here!"

But she couldn't hear anything; she was too blinded by the Elder's sword hacking through her angel's bloodstained wings. She didn't hear his command, for his howls of anguish and pain were deafening her. His voice echoed throughout the ruins of Paradise, echoed above the clouds, calling out her name with unspeakable loss.

And then the Ancient Angel threw her beloved out of Paradise, never again to return.

She could no longer hold back the tears. They burst through her eyes like rain falling from the heavens. She cried her heart out, but even her wails of despair seemed too shallow for the overwhelming grief that tore at her heart.

And then the Elder turned towards her. He walked purposefully, his gleaming broadsword dripping with the crimson blood from the person she just lost. But she didn't do anything; her mind was in total chaos. The loss of her beloved had given her a breakdown, rendering her completely vulnerable and helpless from the coming Ancient. She knew that he was now out to get her, but like a prey to a snake, she stayed frozen still, as if mesmerized, by the swirling feathers in a blurry of madness like a billowing snowstorm on a winter's night. She knew there was nothing she could do anymore, and she just closed her eyes and freely gave herself up for her inevitable punishment as the Elder raised his sword towards the very vaults of heaven.

It was the last, clear memory she could remember that day. Her mind became hazy, as the Paradise around her spun faster and faster. Disconnected images of spilt blood and torn wings flooded her clouded eyes. Slurred and incomprehensible voices of anguish and reproach reverberated in her head. A curse she could not remember was cast upon her, and then, the memory of her life, the memories she had with her angel, and the memories they created in Paradise slowly vanished from her, like a thief fleeting away, they faded slowly into nothingness, until all she could see, is black.

And then, she seemed to fall. She felt as light as the feathers from her torn wings swirling about her as she effortlessly let out her arms to take her final flight. Countless numbers of several eternities in which she plunged towards her inevitable death passed by as she fell still. She knew that she had been banished from Paradise like her beloved, and she opened her eyes to see it again just for one last time.

And she saw it for the final moment before everything was erased from her memory, and it wasn't the Paradise that she had longed to behold before: it was nothing more than an ugly piece of land with no life, and no love.

As she plummeted to the ground, her mind suddenly snapped shut as her very existence faded from her, and she could no longer remember anything. And then, as her frail and badly bruised body fell broken on the grassy earth below, a smile gently formed on her lips.

She was nearly free.

_Tsuzuku_

* * *

_If I am with you, then everything will be okay._

_Even if heaven and earth falls apart, it will be okay._

_Even if Paradise turns into dust, it will be okay._

_As long as we're together when the world comes to an end, then it will be okay!_


	2. Call My Name

_Konnichiwa! Sadame-neechan here again! I would like to apologize for the late updates, my isp bailed out on me, plus my aged HDD has finally met its maker on the last possible second before I could upload the next two chapters, making me miss my deadlines (my apologies, two faithful readers). Isn't that annoying? Anyway, thank you _so _much for your support. I really appreciate it! Please hang in there and bear with me!_

_Sadame-chan 090504_

* * *

_Chapter One:_

_Call My Name_

Millerna and Marlene stared intently at the aged clock that was hanging on their dining room wall. Their eyes followed the slow movement of the hands along their numbered path. Nobody in the entire village made a sound, it seemed, so the only thing that could be heard is the soft ticking of the clock. The entire place where they lived was like a ghostly ruin where not a soul dwells; not even the trees made the faintest sound, even the ocean and the sky seem to be holding their breath. The eerie silence that hung upon them was so thick that it was almost tangible.

But all that changed at the stroke of midnight. The dark stillness of the starless sky was quite suddenly filled to bursting with colorful wild sparks from the villagers' fireworks. The silence has been broken by a myriad of sounds as countless cheers, noises, and voices containing greetings, hopes, wishes, and prayers filled the cool night air. A moment ago, the whole village stood still and silent as it awaited the signal for the new beginning, but now it is different. Now, there is a joyous celebration to behold.

Millerna happily turned to embrace her sandy-haired sister. "Happy New Year, Marlene!" she greeted her warmly.

"Happy New Year, Millerna!" she answered as she returned her sister's embrace. They stayed like that for quite a while, clinging to each other, and then she grew reflective for a moment. "It's been another year..." she thought.

It has been nearly four years since the day she woke up and found herself lying in a strange room, on a bed that wasn't hers, and staring at a gentle face she didn't know. That was her farthest memory. She couldn't remember anything before she had woken up. She didn't even remember how she got badly wounded and with most of her bones broken.

But the owner of the face was a kind and gentle man. He nursed her slowly back to her health, changing the leaves that healed her wounds, checking the wood that supported her broken arms and legs. He even cooked for her and mended his clothes so they could fit her limp little body. He kept talking to her, keeping her company, asking her questions like what her name was and where she came from. But she couldn't reply. She couldn't remember anything before, not even her own name.

Marlene thought fondly of the man who saved her life. During those long, interminable months when she suffered badly from the pain of her injuries, when the agonizing pain made her howl and writhe in his bed, he would stay with her all night, sitting beside her, giving her as much comfort as he could. He was such a kind, gentle, _dear_ person, and the truth of it was, she grew quite close to him during her recovery.

And then, when she was strong enough to sit up, he introduced her to Millerna, a neighbor of his. He told her that now that she could sit up and was strong enough to be lifted, he sought it proper to look her in for a new home with a female companion. Because even though he enjoyed her company, and he wouldn't mind at all if she stayed there, he just doesn't see it as proper that they stay all alone under one roof.

And that was how Millerna entered her life. Tall, blond and vivacious, she was such a warm, nurturing person, and she accepted and treated her like she was family. She was even the one who kept having conversations with her when she was too shy and awkward to talk to her. Millerna was the one who kept breaking the ice and the temporary wall between them.

"Tell me, dear," Marlene could remember her ask one day. "What's your name?"

She just looked at her sadly and honestly said, "I don't know. I don't remember anything."

Millerna embraced her fondly. "Then we'll just have to make-do," she said cheeringly. "Let's see," her face creased in thought. "What would be a perfect name for you?"

Millerna grew silent for a while, smiling a bit sadly. Then she suddenly embraced her and softly said, "I know, we'll call you Marlene," she said, now looking straight at her eyes. "Marlene... like my sister who died long ago."

Marlene. That was the name that she had adopted since then, and that was the beginning of her new life with Millerna. The villagers were very kind, and they all made her feel welcome there. The elders taught her how to work in the fields and with the animals, the younger people helped her get accustomed with everyone, and Millerna and her savior gently guided her into her new life.

She couldn't be thankful enough for her blond savior. To Marlene, he was the ultimate definition of a man. He was everything she ever needed and wanted. He was everything she had ever hoped for.

"Happy new year, Millerna, Marlene," said a musical voice from their doorstep. "May I come in?"

The visitor had long, flowing blond hair and soft, sparkling blue eyes. He had fair complexion, and glowing beautiful skin. He speaks very urbanely; his gestures were polished and well mannered. His tall, slimly muscular body could as well serve as a model for a statue, and he was absolutely, perfectly _gorgeous_.

It was Marlene's handsome savior, the one who makes her heart flutter.

"Allen," Marlene blushed. She quickly turned around so he wouldn't see. His presence had always made her clumsy, so she prudently avoids unexpected and sudden conversations with him, lest she makes a fool of herself, or die with embarrassment. But if anything else, she thought that he was even more handsome than he was when she saw him this morning.

Marlene was like that sometimes.

"Come in, Allen, you're no stranger to ask permission first, you know." Millerna gently scolded. "Oh, and happy New Year to you, too." She quickly added.

Allen laughed as he came inside. It was an honest, musical laugh, and Marlene noted that he had perfect white teeth. "I brought some fruit," he said.

Marlene teased him a bit. "Fruits, Allen?"

"Well... I cooked some stew for supper, but I don't think you two ladies would like it."

"Why not?" Millerna asked.

"Because _I_ don't like it myself." He answered.

It was Millerna and Marlene's turn to laugh. "Come on, Allen, join us for dinner. Marlene made the stew, and I'm sure we'd _all_ like it."

It was really a pleasant evening to start the coming year. They had a bountiful harvest last year, and so they had quite a spread on the table. There was stew, freshly baked biscuits, steamed vegetables and corn dripping with butter, creamy potatoes, a leafy herbed salad, and a large roast duck that Millerna had prepared the whole day. They ate slowly, enjoying the food and talking about matters of the fieldwork and the animals that Marlene cared for. Allen complemented Marlene on her cooking, and she liked that. He also spooned three bowls of the heavy stew that she cooked, and she also liked that.

"Oh..." Allen said, groaning. "I think I ate too much."

"You'll work it off when the planting starts," Marlene said as she helped Millerna clear the dishes.

"I should live away from you two," he said, standing up with some difficulty. "Or I'll get fat."

"That's not true, Allen." Millerna disagreed while she washed the dishes. "Marlene eats all the time, but she never gets fat."

"Millerna!" Marlene gasped, her cheeks burning red. "I most certainly do _not_!" Allen was laughing gaily.

"Oh? You should see yourself eat, then. It's gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, then breathe," she turned around and held up four fingers. "That's _four_ gulps to one breath! Imagine that!"

Marlene was blushing furiously by now. "That's not true!" she was embarrassed that Allen had to hear Millerna tease her.

"And no chewing too! That's _amazing_!" Allen joined in.

"_Allen_!" Marlene pouted. Millerna and Allen laughed even harder.

"Come on, you two. Let's sit outside and watch the fireworks. I'll get the fruits Allen brought. I've chilled them, and we could have them for dessert." Millerna said, wiping her hands on her apron.

"I knew I should've lived far away from you two," Allen murmured.

They sat outside under the blazing night sky, enjoying the colorful display and the cool, gentle sea breeze. They ate chilled fruit while talking idly, stopping now and then to look at the wonderful colors the fireworks painted on the midnight sky. Marlene secretly gazed at Allen's beautiful face, and swore to herself that he looked even more dashing at night.

Millerna gazed at the night sky. "I _do_ hope it'll be a bountiful year ahead," she softly said.

Allen smiled as he looked at the last remaining fireworks in the sky. The noises were gradually fading now, and before long, the whole world was enveloped in silence once again.

Allen turned his face to Marlene. "It's another year for you, too, Marlene." He said softly. "Can you remember anything now?"

Marlene was touched that he cared. She thought about the year that has passed. She had a lot of memories that year. They were memories that she wished to keep forever.

Unlike the memories of her past that evaded her still.

She sighed. "No, Allen." She answered. "I still don't remember anything."

Allen smiled at her. "That's good." He said, patting her hand softly. "That means that you're staying with us a little bit longer."

Marlene blushed, and was glad that the darkness concealed it. Nearly everything Allen does made her very nervous, and it was quite obvious that she had feelings for him. She looked a bit sad, though. It has been four years now that she stayed together with Millerna and Allen. They live a quiet, simple life, surrounded by hardworking, helpful people, and she was honestly very happy and contented living here with them. She was always so thankful to be so blessed; she couldn't ask for anything more.

But there has always been something deep inside her that keeps telling her that there _is_ something more. There is something that keeps intruding upon her thoughts and dreams, making her feel that her new, happy life is empty, that it is lacking something. She really couldn't explain it; it was something so trivial and haunting that even though it only exists at the back of her mind, it was a very powerful force nonetheless. It was a yearning for something. It is an unbearable longing, an overpowering urge of wanderlust that seems to be calling her name to come. She had always felt as if there is something or someone out there that she needed to search for, that she _wanted_ to search for. She couldn't help it anymore; she believes that somewhere, far beyond the great blue ocean, behind the towering peaks of the majestic mountains, over the endless blue skies, there is something wondrous that awaits her, there is someone calling her to come and find it, to search for that person, calling to her soul, to the very core of her being, calling out her name over and over again.

But she didn't know her name...

"Allen, Marlene! Look!" Millerna suddenly said.

The two of them looked at the white smear at the sky Millerna was pointing to. "A shooting star!" she exclaimed.

"I know what I want," Millerna said, a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes. "I wish for a safe, prosperous year ahead."

Allen closed his eyes and clasped his hands together. "I wish that Millerna and Marlene won't get me fat."

Millerna gently slapped his arm, then smiled at her sister. "What do you want to wish for, Marlene?" she asked.

Marlene looked up at the sky, glanced away from the both of them, hiding the emotions swelling up in her eyes. "Marlene..." Millerna softly asked. "What's wrong, dear?"

She grew still for a moment. "I'm scared, Millerna." Marlene whispered. "I'm so happy living here with you, it makes me so afraid..." she paused apprehensively. "Afraid that one day, I'll have to pay for it... reminding me how fragile happiness really is..."

Millerna, her caring sister, gently gathered her hands in hers and smiled reassuringly to her. "Then you should wish for it. Wish for the happiness that you know you want."

"I don't know what I want," she murmured softly. "But I do know what to wish for..."

Allen and Millerna looked somewhat sadly at her, obviously knowing what she probably meant to say.

She turned and smiled broadly at them. "I wish that Millerna will eat more than I do, then _she'll_ get fat."

Allen laughed. "You're crazy." Millerna blurted. "It's late. We'd better get to bed if we want to wake up before twilight."

As Allen waved them goodbye and Millerna came inside the house to close the windows, Marlene looked once more at the now obscure sky. The shooting star wasn't there anymore, but the wish she had in her heart was still there. _I wish to find my memories,_ she thought. _I want to know who I really am. I want to know myself... I want to find my secrets, the ones hidden from me by my memories. I want to know what is out there that keeps calling out my name... then I know that I'll truly be happy..._

Millerna called to her to come inside and get some rest. Marlene took one last long look at the vast, endless sky, turned, sighed, and walked towards home. Soon, the small, flickering lights from the gas lamps faded and died, and the whole village was still once again, like a ghostly ruin where not a soul dwells.

Somewhere from beyond the great blue ocean, a salty sea breeze blew in and rustled the leaves of the palm trees, swirling around the dried leaves lying on the grass. Marlene's wish, a silent and encompassing prayer to the high heavens, rose slowly and soared upwards, meeting with a warm unknown wind bringing in a message, a summons of a distant and unearthly voice, beckoning, calling out her name.

_Hitomi..._

If only she had heard.

_Tsuzuku_

* * *

_"I'm scared, Millerna. I'm so happy living here with you, it makes me so afraid... afraid that one day, I'll have to pay for it… reminding me how fragile happiness really is…"_


	3. Not So Far Away

_Chapter Two:  
Not So Far Away_

Something is calling her.

She could sense it. It wasn't like a calling but rather a command, and it wasn't so much as a voice than it was a sensation. She couldn't only hear it, but she could _feel_ it. Every fiber, every muscle of her entire body is aching to reach some incomprehensible destination, like a lost soul forever searching for her eternal resting place.

She was exactly like that. _Restless._

Marlene woke up with a start, breathing heavily and wiping the sweat trickling down her forehead. She had that dream again. A senseless dream about nothing, but felt like it was _something_, something of great importance. All she could see was black, but her emotions—her senses—were so alive, so real, that she could almost reach out and touch and taste them.

She sat up on her bed with the same heavy feeling she's had when the dreams began. Even though she had enough sleep, she was very tired. Marlene had a little difficulty moving herself along, but after a while she came out of her room and joined Millerna in their little dining room.

Marlene plopped herself lazily on a chair and sighed heavily. "What's wrong, dear?" Millerna asked. "I've noticed that you've been always tired these days."

"I'm fine," Marlene answered, as she pressed her palms over her eyes. "It's just that I've been having these strange dreams. I always wake up feeling heavier than the night before." She sighed wearily.

"Oh?" her sister asked with some concern. "What kind of dreams?"

"That's just the thing, Millerna, they didn't make any sense," Marlene replied. "I feel as if it's not showing me something, but making me _feel_ something. I haven't had a peaceful night in weeks."

"How curious," Millerna murmured.

They ate breakfast like they always do, and Millerna insisted that Marlene should stay put and get a bit of rest. But she shrugged it off and told her sister that she was just on feeding duty today, and that she was just going to pick some snails to feed the geese. Millerna insisted still, but Marlene quipped that her work wasn't that strenuous at all, anyway, and so, resigning to the fact that she could never win against her sister's stubbornness, Millerna shook her head and extracted a promise from Marlene that she be back before dusk.

Millerna went off to the fields, wearing her rubber boots and woven hat to help the other women with the planting. Marlene took her bucket, grabbed herself a hat to shade her from the sun, and went to the seashore to collect the snails.

She was walking along the coastline, having little luck with her catch as the tide was getting high and was washing the slugs and snails away. After about a half an hour of picking, she glanced at her bucket and saw that she had barely covered the bottom, so she decided to go to the rocky part of the beach, thinking that the snails would still cling to them.

The rocks were slippery, so she had to be very careful and slowly edged her way. She was right, though. There were plenty of snails and sea slugs for the geese that were clinging in all those little nooks and crannies.

The sun was high above the horizon, proudly shining down upon the fertile earth and abundant sea, showering all the creatures that inhabited both worlds with its warmth. Marlene's bucket was nearly full, but there was plenty more snails farther down the rocky slope. Again, she moved slowly because the water beneath her was very deep. The rocky islet that she was on is connected to a natural outcropping of rock formations that formed a bridge that the fishermen and the villagers use as their wharf, proving just how deep it really must be.

Marlene stopped for while to rest, taking off her hat to wipe her sweaty forehead and neck. The afternoon sun was blazing intensely, and soon she was fanning her hat to cool her face. It was no question that summer is fast approaching, and the sun was scorching her skin, feeling like being pricked with a thousand needles. "I think I'd go for a little swim to cool off, once my chores are over," she muttered to herself.

She let out a puff of air as she fanned her hat more vigorously, and absentmindedly stared at the water lapping up at the sides of the bridge. And then, a kind of misty longing came over her. It was a really hot day, and she hadn't realized how inviting and wonderful the cool, refreshing water was. Marlene slowly shifted her legs and sat at the edge of the bridge, letting her toes touch the cool water.

She gazed as if mesmerized at the sparkling clear blue water underneath her. And before she knew it, she couldn't control herself anymore. Her mind became clouded as she heard the ocean's song. _I can hear it... _she thought. _I can hear my name being called..._

And then her hands slowly stretched before her. Unconsciously, she bent down dangerously low to try to touch the water, not realizing she was going to plunge down to the rocky sea below. Somewhere deep inside her, her awareness was screaming out its warning. But she didn't hear it, she was too distracted by the aching melody of the sea that seemed to reach out to her.

"Marlene!" greeted a familiar voice from somewhere in the middle of the ocean.

Quite suddenly, Marlene's mind suddenly snapped alive again, and, realizing just how perilously close she really was to killing herself, she quickly sat upright and grabbed hold of the boulders. She was shaking with fear, her eyes were wide and frightened and her heart was thudding violently.

She had almost _killed_ herself!

"Marlene!" shouted the voice again. Marlene turned her head seaward and shadowed her eyes with one hand, and saw the dark shape of a tall, lean man with long golden hair waving at her. "Good afternoon!"

Allen rowed in to shore and got off the bridge. "Finished?" he smiled at Marlene.

"Y-yeah," she shyly replied. She was still quite shaken with what had just happened, but now she was more nervous than frightened because Allen was there. He saved her life again. "Any luck?" she asked.

"Some, "Allen replied, tying his boat so it wouldn't drift away, as the silvery fish he had caught jumped and wiggled and splashed about at the bottom. "Maybe I'll go back later. Your sister and the womenfolk have the planting covered, so they don't really need my help out in the fields." He turned, smiled and took Marlene's bucket. "But first, I'm going to eat. I'm starving."

Marlene was about to explode, and was blushing furiously. Here she was, walking along the deserted beach beside the handsomest man in the entire planet. She couldn't help herself but to look at Allen's well-built body. She was _so_ _close_ to him, she could actually see every drop of sweat that clung to his body, glittering in the afternoon sun, illuminating his perfection. He was wearing a loose-fitting cropped shirt and pants, but it didn't deceive Marlene of how his body really looked like. His sweat and the salty seawater had drenched his clothes, and it clung to him, forming every curve and every muscle, fitting him like a glove. And with his damp hair tossed wildly by the wind like that, Marlene could feel a surging heat inside of her, making her forget everything but to kiss this deliciously sexy and fatally sensual creature that was walking beside her.

Marlene took the bucket from him, a slight shiver running down her as her hand brushed against his. "I'll take that. I still have to feed the animals." she carefully avoided his gaze. "Why don't you have lunch with us, Allen? I'm sure Millerna's already done with the cooking now." She offered, the fire inside her almost uncontrollable.

"No way." Allen said, shaking his head. "I made a solemn vow never to get myself seduced by your cooking again."

It must have been the intense heat, her still-foggy mind, Allen's intoxicating summer scent and his sexily drenched body combined that made the fire burst inside and made her say something as his gleaming, moist skin brushed dangerously close with hers. "You're worth seducing, though." She blurted out.

Marlene blushed furiously and quickly clamped one hand over her mouth. _Oh, God!_ She thought. _What was I thinking? She_ cursed herself silently, praying for the good graces and mercy of the God above that she be swallowed by the earth before she die of embarrassment.

Allen blinked with apparent surprise, then chuckled softly.

Marlene bowed and muttered a few incomprehensible excuses, and literally flew towards the farm, away from Allen's sight.

-------------------------------------

Marlene was busy chopping some potatoes for the stew she was preparing while Millerna was putting butter on the freshly-baked bread. Marlene stayed home for the remainder of the afternoon, dismissing the plan she had earlier of taking a dip in the ocean. Allen said he'd go back fishing that afternoon, and she _definitely_ wanted to avoid him just now.

She also prudently kept today's quite steamy events from her sister.

Strangely, though, Marlene's fascination—and near-disastrous conversation—with Allen made her momentarily forget about the almost fatal lapse she had back in the ocean wharf. She wondered what had exactly happened. She was clearly rational one moment ago, then the next minute she was about to plunge herself unknowingly towards the jutting rocks on that wharf. She had no clear recollection of that moment, except that she had felt that strong feeling of beckoning once more.

Like the ones she had on her dreams.

Marlene's face creased in thought. What is going on with her? Is she going insane? She keeps hearing voices, and she has this strange urge to wander. Why is she feeling restless, feeling as if she needs to search for something?

"Knock, knock," Allen said at the door.

Marlene was distracted from her thoughts and quickly turned around so she could hide her embarrassment.

"Allen! Come in!" Millerna exclaimed. "Are you joining us for dinner?"

Marlene was positively sure she was about to _die._

"What's cooking?" Allen asked as he stepped inside.

"Marlene's cooking stew, and I made bread," Millerna replied.

Allen smiled. Marlene could feel his eyes fixed at her back. "No way." Allen said, shaking his head. "I made a solemn vow never to get myself _tricked_ by your cooking again."

Oh, Allen was merciless. Marlene closed her eyes in embarrassment and wished she could stick her head inside the bubbling pot of stew before her. She felt as if Allen was deliberately teasing her! Still, she liked the idea, though.

"I grilled some fish and I brought you ladies some," Allen said.

"Well, why don't you just join us, then? Marlene's almost finished." Millerna stubbornly insisted.

Allen shook his head again. "I really can't, Millerna." He paused. "But perhaps I could talk with Marlene for a while outside,"

Marlene could feel her heart crowding her throat.

Millerna giddily scooted beside her. "Go," she squeaked. "I'll take care of this." Then she added loudly, "And make sure Allen doesn't escape dinner. Use all your charms to entrap him." She winked.

Entrap. Of _all_ the words to use.

Allen chuckled softly before going out. Marlene couldn't help blushing as she timidly followed him.

It was a beautiful night outside. The moon hovered low and large over the distant purple-stained mountains, giving the whole landscape with a misty, ghostly look. The cool sea breeze whistled softly as they tossed Allen's golden locks, and the crickets filled the air with their aching song. The midnight blue sky was adorned with beautiful stars, like diamond dust scattered to form a glittering gateway to heaven. It was the most perfect of nights to be with the man she secretly loved for all these years, and even though she was still embarrassed about the events that happened earlier that day, the gentle and comforting darkness that crept upon them made her feel calm, and the warm glow surged in her veins once more. She couldn't help it, she knew she couldn't, the aura that Allen had around him was such a powerful force to be reckoned with. And even though the thought of actually seducing Allen right then and there made her feel horrendously silly, she came pretty quite close.

But after silence after silence came between them, Marlene couldn't contain her increasing edginess any longer. "Allen, I'm sorry about this morning, I wasn't thinking rationally when I said that—" she blurted out in one breath.

"Marlene—" Allen tried to cut in.

"...in fact, I wasn't rational the whole morning and I almost fell off the wharf but then you called—"

"Y-you almost fell off the _wharf_!?" he asked incredulously.

"...and it was because of the heat that made me think stupid and improper things, and so maybe what I'm trying to say is," she stopped finally for a gulp of breath, bowed and said, "I'm sorry."

Allen blinked in silence then broke off in a soft laughter that made Marlene even more embarrassed and nervous. "That's not what I want to talk to you about." Allen said.

Marlene's head shot up. "It's not?" she asked with some disbelief.

Allen laughed uneasily. "No."

Marlene heaved a vast sigh of relief. She could feel the hot flow draining from her cheeks. Since Allen had announced that that was not their topic of discussion, she felt more at ease now. _Maybe Allen doesn't really mind what happened this morning,_ she thought. _Maybe it doesn't bother him so much as it did to me._

Allen made a rueful face. "What you said this morning probably had a lot to do with it, though." He softly muttered before advancing towards her.

Marlene didn't expect that last statement that Allen said, and so she was totally unprepared as Allen approached her steadily. In her mind she was panicking; she had no time to think of what to do, so she just stood there, dumbfounded and looking like a fool, awaiting what will happen next.

The darkness around them was thick, and it enveloped the two, embracing them, as if they really _were_ all alone in that secluded little spot. Slowly, Marlene's mind started to dim as all her thoughts, senses and concentration were devoted to the man closing in on her. She didn't care what happens now, even though her heart was beating violently and her palms were getting really sweaty, she was excited—and quite nervous—at the same time.

Allen now stood within breathing space, and there was an oddly unfamiliar look in his eyes. Marlene couldn't read them; she was too blinded by the mist forming about her own eyes and by the fog that has started to cloud her mind. There was a total conflict of emotions inside of her, and not even the cool night air could stop the heat that was flowing inside her right now.

Allen slowly touched Marlene's cheek, and a tingling jolt of electricity went down her spine. She shivered, and Allen gently cupped her cheeks and tilted them upwards. He was now staring directly at her, boring into her eyes, communicating to her with unsaid words. Marlene could feel Allen's breath touching her face. She was sure she was about to faint. Her knees finally gave way as they buckled under her weight. She knew she was totally _helpless_ in the arms of Allen. How could she resist his charms? She knew that she was so vulnerable at that moment that Allen will succeed without even trying. And so, why would she even try? She just closed her eyes in sweet surrender, her slightly parted lips moist and trembling as they anticipated Allen's sweet kiss.

"Marlene," Allen said softly, and a bit sadly. "I'm sorry... but I'm in love with Millerna."

Marlene's eyes suddenly opened as Allen's confession echoed inside her head. "Wha—what did you just say?" she asked.

Allen didn't answer, but just stared at her with an almost naked sorrow, and Marlene finally understood. Her realization hit her like a staggering blow in the face. She bowed down to disconnect her eyes from Allen's blue depths. Somehow, she couldn't bear to look at them anymore. She felt that she would burst into tears if she gazed at those melancholy eyes of his. She untangled herself from Allen's arms as she tensed her body. She steeled herself. She forced herself not to cry. "I see." She lifelessly said. "I'm sorry."

Allen glanced away with a pained look. "Please don't say that," he began. "It just adds to my guilt."

_So now I make you feel guilty._ She thought. She stayed bowed like that, not trusting herself as the tears started to gather up in her eyes. "That's why I'm sorry," she said emotionlessly. "For loving you." There. She said it. After years of silently admiring Allen, this was the only time that she had managed to say it. A huge knot in her chest was suddenly released, and that little outburst made the tears swell even more. It took her an almost inhuman self-control to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

Allen started again. "You see, I've loved your sister even before—" he hesitated. "Even before you came here."

She could feel a sharp pang deep inside her. Another blow in the face. Marlene clenched her fists and gritted her teeth as she felt the tears burning her eyes. She stayed silent like that for quite a while, calming herself, holding back the tears. And then, when she has succeeded in suppressing them, she tensed herself and faced Allen back. Her expression was dull, flat, cold and emotionless, even uncaring, and it clearly pained Allen deeply to see her like that, and he had to look away once more.

"I'm sorry." Marlene repeated. "I should've consulted with my sister first."

"Marlene..." Allen said.

"I should've asked her if you were eligible for my idiotic affections first," she grated on.

"Marlene, please..." Allen pleaded.

"It was stupid of me, to secretly admire someone who I'm not worthy of," she said, her voice trembling as the tears welled up. "I-I shouldn't have loved y-you. Please f-forgive me." She said.

"Marlene," Allen softly said, his voice also trembling and his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "It's not your fault... please don't blame yourself..." he slowly took a step closer and put her hands on her shoulders. "I've always loved your sister," he murmured. "But you make it so hard, Marlene... you make it so hard..."

"Damn you, Allen!" Marlene burst out as the tears she tried so hard to suppress finally gave way. "I make it _hard_ for you?" she asked. "_I_ make it _hard_ for you, Allen?" she whispered angrily, the tears flowing out of control. "All I did was love you, Allen, all I did was _love_ you." Her face twisted in a look of pure suffering that made Allen wince. "All I e-ever did was to love y-you," she cried, her defenses crumbled apart. "You have been so g-good to me. Y-You saved my life twice, and for that I-I've s-secretly longed for you for all this t-time." She sobbed uncontrollably. "But then I make things hard for you?"

And Allen held her, stroking her hair and murmuring what comfort he could give. Marlene was _so_ helpless. She had wanted to cry for so long but she had tried to hold it back, thinking that she had to win by not letting Allen see her bleed openly. But all of that disappeared as she stood there, hurt and hopelessly lost in Allen's arms, sobbing and crying her heart out.

After a while, Marlene gently brushed his arms away and stepped away from him. "No." she whispered. "Please don't make matters worse. I love you, but you love Millerna. Just leave it at that. Let's just hope that what I'm feeling is just a phase, and that it'll eventually pass."

Allen hesitated. "I just hope that you won't change the way you feel about Miller—"

Marlene cut him. "I won't hate my sister," she whispered, her head bowed once more. "Or you, for that matter. In fact, I love you." She gathered enough courage to look at him full in the face. Her eyes might be puffy and red, but the sincerity and the harshness that was shown in them were real. "I love you, Allen. I've loved you ever since that day I woke up and saw your blue eyes staring back at me." She paused. "I have no memories." She started. "I don't even have an identity. And even though I was contented in living here with all of you, I was trying hard not to admit that I was in fact very lonely..." she wiped a tear. "You were my happiness, Allen." She whispered. "It was your tenderness that made me survive until now. You never knew how much even a smile from you would take away my loneliness." She gazed sadly at him. "But I guess it's too much to ask for your love now, is it?" she asked a bit cynically. The tears flowed out once more, and continued to flow. She didn't even try to hide it this time. It was like a river; flowing endlessly like a raging storm from her wounded, angry heart.

"I _do_ love you, Marlene." Allen said awkwardly, holding her arm. "I love you like a sister."

Marlene snorted bitterly. She wanted to attack Allen right now. She wanted to punch him square in the face. There was so much turmoil inside of her, a dangerous concoction of conflicting emotions that was ready to burst out all at once. She turned her back at him and started towards the door, her anger melting into indescribable pain and suffering as she finally decided to walk out of his life forever.

"Marlene," Allen called out tentatively to her, and she momentarily stopped. "I'm still here if you need me," he offered. "Just two houses down. Not so far away."

"Yeah," Marlene answered, her voice growing thick. "I know."

She had trouble remembering what happened next, or how her sister reacted when she locked herself in her room without dinner. She was too busy blaming herself to notice. _He doesn't like you, Marlene! He likes Millerna! Well, what did you expect? You didn't actually _think _that he'd fall for a complete _stranger_ now, did you? What were you _thinking?

She cried, and cried, and cried. Her pillow was wet with her tears, but they didn't seem to end. The grief and loss she felt tore at her heart, and simple crying seemed too unfit to help contain her sadness.

The next thing she knew, she was packing herself a few clothes and some traveling money in an old canvas bag and silently sneaked out her bedroom window. One thing was for certain now: she had to get away from this place as far as she can. She knew that she was fooling herself when she said that her feelings for Allen was just a phase. She knew it wasn't. She couldn't bear staying there anymore, she knew that the sorrow and despair that she feels would be enough to kill her, and so she decided to run away.

She slipped past the houses and quietly headed down the thick forest that surrounded the village. She had no idea where she would go, for she had nowhere else to go. She just wanted to get away from the place where she gained a new life, and had lost everything. Before, Allen had been her bind, her powerful chain which kept her from succumbing to the distant calling from beyond. But now that she was set free, she could go and search for her true self, for what lies before her beyond the stark purple mountains. Marlene left her home, her life, and her heart behind as well.

As she entered the forest that will lead her out of the village, she looked back and saw Allen's hut in the distance, his lantern glowing still. Her beautiful Allen, his majestic hair flowing gently in the wind, stood alone in the doorway. Two houses down, and not so far away from Marlene's grasp.

_Tsuzuku_

"_I've always loved your sister," he murmured. "But you make it so hard, Marlene... you make it so hard..."_

_Footnotes:_

Not So Far Away_ is a BGM title from _Ragnarok Online, _taken from one of the maps surrounding the city of _Amatsu. _I used this title because of the certain sadness in the BGM that would fit well with this chapter, and so I used this rather than the much appropriate phrase "Not too far away"._

_That's just about it. Hope you enjoyed this rather long installment!_

_Sadame-chan 091404_


	4. The Curse that is in My Heart

_Just want to let you guys know how much I _appreciate _your reviews. Thank you very much!_

_Yes, I love wings, too, _Soul Eyes_! That's why I decided to adapt my original story from high school into Escaflowne. Thank you also for _SabineballZ_, I'm really glad that you like it so far. I hope you'll bear with me to the end. And I would like to object to _sanctus-seira_ for saying that this story is quite cliché... It's not. Actually, it's _super_ cliché (Sheepish smile). That's why I'm so happy that more than two people read it! (Sniff)_

_My sincerest thanks, _Wink_-sama, the one who reads most of my demented writings, for your very endearing reviews! I am honestly _honored_ to have such a talented writer as you say such embarrassingly flattering remarks about my work. Thank you _so _much! (Sniffle)_

_And lastly, for _Tramie_-san. Thanks for hanging in there! I cannot divulge unto you any of my schemingly™ splendiferous plans yet, I'm afraid, so all I can tell you is that all will be met in the fullness of time. Yuck, that sucks, I know... but I'd probably be denounced when you get to the last chapter of this story, anyway. (Grin)_

_Thanks, minna!_

_Sadame-chan 092104_

_Chapter Three:  
The Curse that is in My Heart_

Void. Nothingness. Black.

She woke up in complete darkness.

_How could this be? _She thought. It seemed to her that there was no real difference whether her eyes were closed or not. She could only see the darkness that loomed large and heavy before her. She couldn't even see her arms outstretched before her. Taking a few faltering steps forward, she strained her arms in a desperate attempt to reach something—anything—but to no avail. There was nothing before her but the cold emptiness. It was as if she had slipped into a black hole where no kind of light could ever penetrate, where the emptiness were as vast as the same hollow space she quite clearly feels in her soul.

_Is this what it's like to... die?_

Dumbly, she collapsed to what she believed was the floor. She couldn't really be sure; even the surface that stretched underneath her is as dark as midnight. She just sat there on the cold floor, alone and numb from the pain she endures. A single tear trickled down her pale cheek as she hugged her knees like a child, and a weary hand wiped it away. Bleary, wide-eyed and haggard, she rocked herself back and forth, her mind awash with disconnected incomprehensible memories of what used to be a perfectly happy life. She had never felt such sadness... she had never felt more alone. She spitefully pitied herself; a tragic excuse as the saddest existence ever created in the whole planet. She couldn't even understand it; why everything had been taken away from her. Her happiness, her love, her past... she didn't know, and it frustrated her so. Bitterly, she laughed at her pathetic little existence, being quite surprised that she could do it all the same. After she had laughed at herself, she loosened up a bit. She realized just how comforting being alone in the cold darkness is.

_Hell, maybe it's not so bad._

But drop after drop of great big tears began to well up and spilled uncontrollably on her cheeks. Her lips trembled and her eyes got all blurry as she suddenly felt a terrible wrenching feeling in her stomach. She hung her head limply and embraced herself a little bit tighter. Who was she kidding? She still loves Allen. She still yearns for him even now. She still dreams about him every night, and she sorely misses him everyday. His face is still there wherever she turns, and he still occupies her mind for every waking moment. To put it very bluntly, she was still very much in love, still very much helpless.

Helplessly in love.

Having acknowledged such thoughts that ran across her foggy mind, she burrowed her head in her knees and cried her little torn heart out, trembling in every muscle until she had finally exhausted the tears that flowed. She lifted her head, resting it upon her arms, her eyes all red and puffy and stinging her from crying. She visibly winced as one hand touched her breast.

_It still hurts._

Indeed, she can still feel pain. And for Marlene, the sharp pang that she endures, like steely knives stabbing her, twisting and writhing deep inside of her is a thousand times worse than sheer, numbing physical pain.

Sometimes even more cruel than death itself.

But she knows, in the deepest, darkest depths of that sore, bruised heart, still beats a feeling so pure and innocent like no other. Even though she had been hurt many times, even though she had cried for so many times, even though the memories escaped from her still, that unyielding emotion, that clandestine unconditional love in her being, still remains the same as it has always been.

Somehow, she knew that that feeling remains unchanged. She believed that she had felt this kind of love even before she _knew_ it was love. She believed that this emotion she holds in her heart is so strong, so pure, that it surpassed all her troubles and transcended the very threads of time itself.

Without knowing how, Marlene was convinced that she had loved someone even before she woke up to Allen's icy blue gaze.

"It is a curse," said a deep, but oddly gentle voice from behind her.

She suddenly stood up and whirled around. "Who's there?" she asked.

"It is a curse," came back the ghostly reply.

Marlene swiveled her head about, unable to discern anything in the pitch-black darkness. "Where are you? Let me see you." She shot out.

"I am with you, without you knowing." He answered from a distance behind her. She spun around and saw a blurry grayish fog somewhere in that impossible void. She gathered up her strength and ran on sturdy legs towards the eddying fog, growing brighter and brighter as she came closer.

Suddenly, within reaching a few feet from the slowly brightening mist, it exploded into an incandescent blinding white light. The light that now emanated from it was so bright that Marlene had to close and avert her eyes.

Squinting, she shaded her eyes with one hand and dared a glance at the blazing aura.

Feathers. Snowy white feathers drifted like puffs of clouds around the distinct figure of a tall young man. It was foolish to think so, but she was thoroughly convinced that the feathers were even whiter than the light itself. Marlene squinted so far that her eyes were no more than slits, and dared to look into that blazing aura once more to see his face. But even though she was straining very hard, she could not see his face. The light from the aura emanating from behind him was too blinding, but she could clearly etch out the edges of his wings that flowed out gracefully behind him.

"Are you an angel?" she finally blurted out.

He didn't reply to her question. "Remember that you once wished to free yourself? Remember that you once longed to find your peace?" he asked.

"Free? I don't..." she started.

The young angel stretched out his hand. "Then come with me. I shall free you from the suffering that you endure in your heart."

"Suffering? How... what suffering?" she muttered confusedly.

"The curse that is in your heart."

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Marlene woke up amidst all the shouting and the hoarse commands that echoed through the forest. She opened her eyes but did not move, trusting that the concealment of her camp would not give her position away. She merely lay there, motionless as she listened to the cacophony of voices that rudely interrupted her dreams.

"Has anybody seen any trace of her yet?" asked a very familiar voice that made her heart jump.

She quickly rolled over onto her stomach and crouched to peer through the thick underbrush.

"No, Allen, we haven't found any tracks."

_They've finally caught up with me!_ She thought. There, just a few meters away from her secluded vantage point, stood the man she had loved ever since she first saw him. His hair ruffled, his face disheveled, his eyes swollen and lacking sleep, Allen stood amidst a fair number of the men from the village, holding torches up high as they scoured around the deep forest.

_The curse that is in my heart._ She thought silently.

Allen passed a weary hand over his eyes. "She can't just have disappeared," he sighed tersely. "Surely she left tracks... signs that she's gone through here!" the blond man hotly exclaimed.

"Allen, we've been searching for _three days_," a man patiently pointed out. "She must be miles away by now."

Allen stared intently at the tired villager, his eyes tightening. "And just what are you implying?" he curtly asked.

None of them dared an answer.

Marlene willed herself to shrink even smaller as she peered in the clearing. She didn't want to be found. Sure, she loves Allen, but she couldn't bear the idea of returning to the village. Not only is that shameful, degrading and embarrassing, she also couldn't bear the thought of staying there and bleed forever knowing Allen's true feelings.

They all heard the soft footsteps that drew closer and closer to the clearing, and Marlene saw a ruddy orange glow from a torch that was approaching. Allen and the men turned to see a tall beautiful lady with wavy blond hair step into the small clearing. "Allen," a puffy-eyed Millerna sadly said. "Let's stop this already."

Allen clenched his fist and a look of irritation showed in his face. "No!" he angrily hissed. "She still must be out there!"

Millerna came up to him and touched his arm. "Allen, be reasonable," she pleaded. "You do not expect the villagers to search for nothing every night, do you?"

"Damn it, Millerna!" he uncharacteristically swore. "We can't just give up and leave her alone in there! Not like _this_!"

The tall blond lady bit her lip. "Maybe she's not there anymore, Allen... maybe we're just wasting our time." She whispered.

Allen floundered about, not believing the things he's hearing right now. He can't believe that they're willing to give up this easily! "Millerna, don't you even care about your sister at all?" he unthinkingly blurted out.

Millerna's eyes hardened, and Allen cursed himself silently for the mistake he's made. "You need not remind me, Allen," she hollowly said. "That I have lost both Marlenes in this forest. So please don't accuse me that I do not care about her, when I have been carrying my unfound sister's gravestone in my heart for as long as I can remember."

Allen's transparent look of guilt softened Millerna again. She looked around at the exhausted and weary searchers and addressed them. "I'm very sorry for the trouble, everyone," she apologized. "I think we can all go home now, as it is quite obvious that Marlene..." her voice trailed off. "...will never come back." Tears of gentle regret flowed from her eyes.

Allen quickly came beside her and wrapped his arms about her shoulders to steady her, a look of sadness and concern very evident in his face. He gravely nodded to the men about him and gently guided Millerna out of the forest, and from Marlene's life forever.

Watching them until they finally disappeared from her sight, Marlene turned around and sighed a bit petulantly. Had Allen persuaded the men to continue searching a bit farther, they'd have found her camp, and she would be inevitably returned to the village. If that was what happened, she'd have emotionally run out from her concealment towards Allen. Foolishness and love is a very deleterious combination, and at this point in time, Marlene believed she still had both.

_Well... maybe it's better this way._

She just had to laugh out loud. She couldn't understand why she needed to console herself so much.

Marlene brushed off an offending lock of hair and thought about Millerna. _She said that her sister disappeared in the forest, too._ She had never known the real Marlene. For all she knew, Millerna accepted her like she was the real one. An almost overwhelming wave of pity came over her. She felt sorry for Millerna... she realized that underneath that chirpy, sunny exterior shielded a bleeding heart searching for answers that were never found.

She gazed up at the starlit sky. A couple of them fell like teardrops in the heavens. Marlene was thinking... She and Millerna were alike in some ways. The reason that they were so close to each other was because they were both searching for answers that evaded them, just like the sun evades the touch of the moon. They were two lonely, hapless souls searching for a destination, a purpose, a meaning. And all this time, they had been needing each other's company to ease the suffering their unanswerable questions gave them for so long.

But it's all going to change now. Soon, Millerna will forget about the pain, and Allen shall help her heal her wounds, as she will help heal his own suffering as well. Allen shall take her place in Millerna's heart, and their life will go on... just like her own sad little life will go on. At least, she can have solace in the fact that these two people very close to her heart shall someday find true happiness in each other's arms.

She sighed a bit miserably. Millerna and Allen's story is nearly over now. But what about _her_ story? She doesn't even know how it began, how can she possibly know how will it end? How could she possibly complete it without even starting?

_How can I complete myself when I don't know who I am?_

She sighed once more and stared at the ground. She needed to move away again now. Marlene knew Allen to be stubborn enough to come and search by himself a few more times, or until Millerna tells him off again. So, packing all her belongings in her little canvas bag, she carefully put out the fire she dug out, and piled a mound of small rocks and pebbles over it. She looked for two straight, slightly-thick twigs and carefully tied them together with some dried vines in the center to form a small cross, and stuck it in the middle of the mound. And then, choosing a flat piece of stone with a sharp, pointy edge, she carefully etched a writing on a polished boulder that stood not far from the rock pile:

_To Marlene_

_Who gently came one day_

_And silently left one night_

_I wish you, too, have found your happiness. _She silently prayed. Marlene cleaned up afterwards, sweeping the uneven floor around the little gravestone with care. Sometime after she had rested, she had picked a few wildflowers and placed it around the marker in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. When she had finished, she stood before the gravestone for a while, her thoughts unknown. _At least, Millerna can have something tangible to hold on to now._ Having done what is proper, Marlene turned around and walked on toward the mountains, all the while asking the silent stars if she herself will someday find happiness.

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Sometime during his peaceful sleep, the Ancient Angel grew restless and opened his troubled eyes. He sat up on his bed and stayed quiet like that for a while, listening to the silent whispers the stars conveyed to him. He stood and walked towards the balcony of his palace, leaning against the marble balustrades. The countless stars in the heavens winked at him in greeting as they drifted along their vast highway in an endless and unfathomable journey.

He looked up and carefully noted that some of the stars he had been watching over have changed their courses. "She hath begun to remember," he mumbled to himself.

And indeed, she has. He didn't need to read the stars to know it, for he can already sense it. Her awareness was like a hungry lion just awakened, looming very large and ominous for the Elder. It was a yet unconscious force that is getting more pronounced and stronger every second it approaches its rightful place.

The Elder suddenly felt a certain unfamiliar emotion bubbling from the pit of his stomach. _Is this... fear?_ But surely it's not. He isn't prepared to deal with fear. How could he, the Ancient Angel, immortal and unassailable, be afraid of this foolish, powerless _mortal_?

"Ancient One," echoed a melodious voice from a tall muscular man at his door. "Thy Angels art about to return."

He quickly pushed aside his musings and turned to face the winged messenger. "I suspect that everything went well, young one?" he asked, his eyes calculating in the darkness.

"Yes, Ancient One." The angel replied. "He put up quite a struggle, but the deed thy asked for hath been done."

"A legion of angels," the Elder murmured reflectively. "And yet he still managed to put up a fight." His lips curved into a faint smile. "I hath wrought a masterpiece."

A moment of silence passed between them, then the Elder slowly walked out into the balcony again. "Go thou, young one, and open the gates for thy brothers." He simply instructed.

The winged messenger bowed deeply, turned, and quietly walked out the door.

The Ancient Angel stood under the pale luminescence of the moon, gazing at the lush scenery before him that was Paradise. A warm breeze rose up, filling his nostrils and ruffling his long curly hair.

He thought deeply. "_She_ hath begun to remember. But _he_ hath already forgotten." His eyes wrinkled in thought. "And now, my son, thou art chained in thy foolishness in the filthy earth below, where thou shall suffer and strive for thy vengeance till the end of days."

A curious smile formed in his lips. "I cannot wait."

-----------------------------------------------

Marlene gently scooped the lake water in her cupped hands and washed her face deeply. Walking in the level lands of the forest is one thing, but trekking in the mountains is another story. She let out a big breath and plopped unceremoniously on the grassy earth, her fingers groping for the knots which kept her sandals in place.

She lowered her aching feet and submerged them in the cool water. "Aah..." she sighed, relieved of a bit of pain the forming blisters in her toes gave her. "I'm never _ever_ doing this again." She muttered darkly to herself.

Marlene just sat there, listening contently to the noises around her, her feet swishing and splashing about in the icy water. A smile was present in her lips, and she might not have noticed it, but in a way, her feelings have changed. The pain of rejection she had felt sharply a few days before had somehow melted a little. The time she spent walking and sulking all by her lonesome self had lessened the pain. She hadn't realized it by now, but there was an alien feeling of peace inside of her, a peace that grew more definite as she walked deeper and higher in the secluded mountains.

Sometimes, solitude does that to people. By opting herself to be alone in the peaceful mountains, she had unknowingly helped heal her wounded heart and made herself grow.

Idly she placed one hand on her breast.

_Does it still hurt?_

Marlene was abruptly interrupted when she heard a rather odd rustling coming from somewhere among the trees above her. "Who's there?" she shot out as she snatched her hand back.

There was no answer, but it wasn't like she expected it to. She stood up and walked a ways, looking to and fro to search for the intruder. Hand clutching a dried piece of thick branch, she carefully looked around and above her, as if anticipating an attack any minute.

And then she heard a twig snapped. It was all the answer she needed. "Come out here!" she challenged, her heart pounding in a mixture of fear and alertness. "I know where you are!" she shouted as she rushed under the tree from where she heard the sound.

"If you're not coming down, then I'm coming up!" she threatened, her hand tightly coiled around her makeshift club. Hastily she grabbed at the massive tree trunk, getting a solid foothold and climbed slowly, puffing great mouthfuls of air as her adrenaline rushed in her blood. "I'm coming!" she shot out. "So you better show up!"

And then, she saw him. It was only for a split-second, but she was sure of what she had seen. A blur of white whooshed above her in what she saw as a pair of snowy pristine wings. The soft feathers that drifted about left a trail that stood out in the dark canopy background.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, and her head swiveled to the direction of where the blur was heading. "Wait!" she shouted, jumping to the ground with a soft thud. She tried to follow, but quickly realized that she had her sandals off. Muttering curses under her breath, she hastily tied it back on, and was soon on a dead run after the fascinating creature that came by _so close_ to her.

_Was that... an _angel?

She ran as fast as she could, ignoring the fact that her blisters hurt really bad. But Marlene was a fast runner, and was quickly eating up the distance between them. Spotting the angel soaring above the moonlit sky just a bit farther, she pushed herself forward a little bit more. "Wait!" she panted, not realizing that she was near to her limit. "Please, wait!"

The pale creature soared high above her, past the obscuring cliff, veering upwards and disappearing behind the stark mountain.

Marlene slowed her run as her lungs were about to explode. "I said... wait..." she panted heavily, her hands resting on her knees. She wiped the sweat that was trickling down her forehead, wetting her now-unruly sandy hair. Her chest heaved in effort, her legs were shaking, and her blisters were like little knives stabbing her toes.

She looked up. "He must be at the top of this cliff," she mumbled when she saw the rocky crag looming before her. He? Did she just say _he_? She wasn't sure why she said that. It's not like she got a clear look of the angel's face or anything, but she felt rather warm inside when she saw him, like she was being protected by someone so strong.

Marlene took a deep breath, rubbed her hands together and started climbing the crag. She ascended as carefully and as quickly as she could manage, making sure her holds were secure. She was heaving again; the cliff was high, and she _was_ in the mountains. Sweat formed and trickled down her eyes, temporarily stinging her, while the warm breeze tousled her hair into her face, blocking her vision even more. "Oh, _great_." She irritably muttered as she gritted her teeth and climbed on.

At last, she grabbed a boulder and pulled herself up into a wide, level grassland that stopped bleakly before a deep ravine. She stood there for a second, breathing heavily. The pale moon rose large above her, illuminating each blade of grass and the trees surrounding her like she was in a ghostly painting. The stars twinkled merrily in the cloudless sky, its midnight blue color embracing the whole world she was in.

Marlene looked around, but the angel was gone. Or maybe... there wasn't an angel in the first place. Maybe it was just a snowy owl out hunting in the mountains. But even so, she felt a vast loss in her heart when she found that the creature was gone.

_I am with you, without you knowing._

Just then, a lone, white downy feather drifted from above, gently brushing her hair and tickling her nose. Marlene glanced up, and she saw that the feather was not alone. More of the snowy things swirled and drifted down upon her, like a white rain purer and softer than snow. Then she heard a soft flutter of sound, growing louder and louder each moment.

Marlene turned her head and gasped, her eyes widening at what she perceived.

There were hundreds of them. No, thousands. Thousands and thousands of snowy white wings flapped and fluttered and soared among the stars in the dark sky. Their majestic flight echoed like a marching army throughout the mountain. Feathers were raining upon her, swirling and eddying as the legion of angels stirred the winds as they circled upwards. Marlene stood there silently, wide-eyed and mouth agape with wonder and amazement at this sheer miracle she was witnessing.

And then, she saw the massive golden gates open, sparkling in the moonlight. The glorious angels circled upwards, soaring above her in what seemed like a mystical and wondrous dance to the Gods. Marlene glanced at what was inside those gates, and a terrible chill ran down her spine.

Her lips quivered as if trying to hold back her words, as a long-forgotten memory flooded her mind. "Paradise," she whispered.

"_What's wrong?" he asked, concern in his voice._

"_I can't take this anymore," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "This is just too much to bear... I want it to end!"_

_He sadly gazed at her, helpless and unaware of what to do with her when she's like this._

_She burst out. "I wish I could die and be free from this _damn_ life!"_

_He held her tightly then, running his fingers through her sandy hair. She burrowed her face in his broad chest, wetting his shirt with her tears as she exploded with all her frustrations with her life._

_Gently he untangled her from his embrace and wiped the tears from her cheeks. He smiled at her and held out his hand. "Then come with me. I shall free you from the suffering that you endure in your heart."_

_She sniffed and brushed away a lock of her hair. "Come? Where?"_

"_To Paradise."_

_She blinked in surprise. "Are you crazy? You know very well that I can't enter Paradise. We'll be punished for sure! Paradise may as well be destroyed."_

_He shrugged. "I don't care if they destroy it. Paradise doesn't mean anything to me without you, you know."_

"_That's really very sweet, but that's not what I want." She pouted stubbornly. "I want to die right now."_

_He frowned. "Death wouldn't make a difference to your problems." He patiently told her._

"_So's running away from it," she quipped. "Besides, you're not entirely sure that I'll forget everything upon reaching Paradise. I just might be as miserable there as I am here. But if I die right now, then everything will finally end!" she said, clapping her hands like a child._

"_Dear one..." he pleaded. "Please be reasonable."_

"_I don't _want_ to be reasonable." She sulked. "I want to _die_ and be _free_."_

_And then, he impulsively kissed her. A gentle, comforting kiss full on the lips, and was so sudden that her surprise was quite obvious. Her misty eyes softened and her cheeks blushed at his gesture, and she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms about his neck. His kiss lingered for a while, and he pulled her closer to him as they stayed like that for quite some time._

_Again, she was amazed at how much this heavenly creature could alter her mood in a moment._

_He gently disengaged from her. "Why'd you do that?" she sheepishly asked, her cheeks with a pinkish glow._

_He traced her tender lips with his fingertips and smiled. "Now you're back to your normal lovely self, dearest."_

_She blushed, instinctively glancing away. But after a while, she laughed and hugged him close._

_He held out his hand once more when she pulled away from her embrace. "Come with me. I shall free you from the curse that is in your heart."_

_Her eyes trembled, her mind unsure. She looked tenderly at his amber depths, and a whole world of their would-be life in Paradise flashed before her eyes. "Paradise..."_

Marlene stood there, a look of terror in her emerald green eyes. Her heart was pounding loudly, deafening her ears. The vision of paradise had given her a collage of emotions inside. Her knees trembled, and her tongue stayed still and denied her words. She couldn't understand why she was feeling so; she was amazed, frightened and eager at the same time.

And then her right foot took a step forward. Then the left. Then the right advanced once more. Faster and faster, her feet led her blindly towards the floating gates where the swirling legion of angels ascended towards their destination. She was so confused; she couldn't control her entire body. It was as if something is leading her, as if something is moving her body on its own, guiding her, calling her...

It all became clear. Dreams. Voices. Paradise.

The curse that is in her heart.

Marlene was walking faster now, and she felt truly terrified for the first time. She couldn't even stop her legs as they advanced towards her death. She pulled with all her strength, but her feet kept moving forward. Her mind tried to shout, but all that it could muster was a silent scream...

She was crying in fear now. Only a few meters stretched before her and the ravine. And yet, her legs didn't stop, nor her foolish longing for the Paradise that wished to kill her. The eagerness in her heart grew more and more as she walked closer to those golden gates. Dimly, she understood why she's always felt so restless. She now understood... she now remembers...

Literally inches away from the cliff's edge, her feet stopped abruptly. Marlene heaved a sigh of relief. _Thank God it stopped in time!_ She fervently thought. _But... why am I still scared? _She asked, her pulse beating a little bit faster. She glanced at the gates above the ravine, and a horrible premonition came upon her ashen face. _Save me!_ She silently screamed.

And Marlene took a step that sent her falling down the deep ravine.

_Tsuzuku_

_She sighed a bit miserably. Millerna and Allen's story is nearly over now. But what about _her_ story? She doesn't even know how it began, how can she possibly know how will it end? How could she possibly complete it without even starting?_


	5. Angel with No Wings

_Konbanwa, minna-san! _Really _sorry for the late updates (my apologies again, three faithful readers), and, not trying to excuse myself too much, but these past two weeks were a wee bit hectic, in my opinion. There was the grueling (fun, yes, but grueling) drinking and bathing water-deprived weekends in the provinces, the dreaded deadline-or-demoted days in the company where I'm working (Don't snicker, _Benjamin_... I _do _work... Sometimes. Though I'm getting a lot ticked off by my boss nowadays. He gets to splatter his spit on my face because he gives me a measly salary compared to my vast wealth of knowledge, abilities and experience! Not to mention my overabundant humility, right?__), and the upcoming violin recitals for which I have been sorely practicing (does anybody have a copy of _The Fiddler on the Roof_? Our teacher told us to watch that movie as an assignment). And, as most of writers already know, Writer's Block is a big ass, isn't it? Just when I'm getting to the juicier parts of the story, _then_ it hits me._

Nakkie_-san, Marlene is Hitomi in my story, but since she doesn't remember anything when Allen and Millerna found her, Millerna called her Marlene, in honor of her dead _real_ sister.__ Is the story confusing? Or maybe it was the way I wrote it... Is it both? (Muuu...) I'm sorry._

_Hmm... Know what, _Wink_-sama? I think you're right! That looks weird. Which got me thinking... do I speak weird? I mean, since I write as I would say it using my own words. __Funny that that was the way I also wrote in high school... which got me thinking again. Did my English teachers let me off the hook in fear of me planting a spawn of my own beautiful evil self in them? (Evil Cackle) Ah, well. I'll try to be more grammatically-correct next time, I promise. Please tell me if there are some errors, I found some in the old chapters.__ Oh, and I like that _fabulous fable _bit! You should put a ™ at the end of it, too!_

_Mufufufufu! Getting tired of falling off of heights, _Sabine_-san? Wel-l... you can't really swoop down from the heavens if the lass would just trip off some dumb old branch, now, could you? _)_ Besides, it wasn't entirely Marlene's fault; the curse is making her do it. (Evil grin) Yes... (Using an annoying thick British accent) it is all part of my schemingly splendiferous ™ sinister plans for this story..._

_Mufufufufu!_

_Sadame-chan 092804_

_Chapter Four:  
__Angel with No Wings_

"Thy sons art home, Most Ancient."

The Elder neither turned nor answered. He stayed standing in the middle of the moonlight-flooded balcony, eyes closed, with his brows knitted in deep concentration. The silent whispers the stars in the sky conveyed to him turned into murmurs; murmurs about a certain event on earth that apparently held high importance. The Ancient Angel's ears were filled in an instant with those murmurs much like gossiping and chicanery fills lowly mortals' days, and it troubled him so. He shut his eyes and listened intently to the insufferable stars, trying to decipher one coherent sound to the other. Their ramblings all turned out the same; _she has seen, she has remembered; at last, it will awaken._ The stars murmured and chanted, some in unison, some overlapping. Some in human tongues and some in unknown dialects. Some with cadence and some in monotone. All had a different style in saying, but all saying only one thing over and over again.

It was all becoming so tiresome and irritating that the Ancient Angel almost had to silence them away.

The flaxen-haired messenger stirred uncomfortably from his Master's indifference. "Holy, there is but one who wishes to have a word with thee." He murmured slowly.

The Aged Angel wasn't really listening to him, unfortunately. He was too busy being distracted, his concern pertaining to what the stars were so curiously murmuring about. He turned to him and hurriedly asked, "Wherefore art thy brother? Wherefore art Ontrose?"

The messenger gaped at him in quite surprise for a while. "He hath descended back to the earth below with most urgency, Ancient One." He supplied.

"Knowest thou his purpose?"

"A summons, Holy," he said earnestly. "By his quite spirited charge that hath thrown herself over a ravine."

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It was absolute darkness. Black tinged with a bit of crimson, but it was dark all the same. She remembers this place all too clearly; she has been here before, many, many times. Was she awake? Yes. Her awareness snapped open and whirred like a machine inside her dark sanctuary. But was she alive? Ah, yes... _that_ is the question.

She did not dare open her eyes; she did not wish to know the answer to her question. Somehow, it scared Marlene so much, the thought of being dead. And it wasn't death itself she was scared of, no, but the thought of _dying_ without a _purpose_.

_Dying like this._

She consciously felt herself with her whirring awareness, checking the headiness of her head, the pulse pounding loudly inside her ears, the steady, measured beating of her heart. Then, continuing what she started, she pushed her awareness a little bit further, checking if her appendages were still attached. She let out a relieved sighed as she felt that her arms and legs were still intact, wryly noted in passing that she felt light and numb—something perhaps the headiness of her head was responsible of—and that she could not even move herself. She wondered why it was so; she wasn't tired or exhausted, physically, perhaps, but what had happened a few moments ago was indeed mentally and emotionally draining. And all that time her eyes were shut tight, she was wondering: how was it possible to have someone fall off a ravine and be totally devoid of pain?

_I can think of one possible answer to that question, _she sardonically thought.

Yes, she _must_ be dead right now. There could be no other answer. Falling off a ravine from _that_ height? Of course she'd have died! Nobody could survive a fall like that. Marlene sighed, mentally agreeing with her perverted ruminations, cynically noting to herself that there _is_ a god, one so merciful as to end her miserable, sorry excuse of a life, or one so vengeful as to punish her for ever thinking that there _was_ no god. She was so surprised at her own thoughts about what was happening to her, and she let out a weak sort of laughter.

Realizing how she made light of this most horrendous turn of events, a chill went up Marlene's spine.

_Wait... aren't I supposed to be numb?_ Her face creased in thought. Come to think of it, she had but only recently began to notice the faint pulsating sensation coming from her legs, or the stinging pain throbbing in her back. Her head was still woozy, her body still felt light, some of her other parts were still numb, but now she could certainly discern a distinct solidity in her body she didn't feel moments ago, like as if she were just now containing substance.

She hazarded to open her eyes. _I didn't know heaven would be this dark._

She heavily lifted her hands and roughly rubbed her shivering, aching arms. _And I didn't know that hell would be this cold, either._

Marlene was alive. She never believed it was possible, but apparently, it was. Slowly, her senses made their way back to her again, seeping through her groggy system like molasses, making her feel the pain more starkly in her immobile legs, and the sticky material that was trickling down the back of her blouse. She cast her eyes downward and noticed that there were blood spatters on the rough floor, and she didn't need to ask herself where the stains came from; the searing pain in her back was enough to bring her to tears, and it was _all_ the answer she needed.

She sighed expansively, not moving or bothering to straighten herself at all. She didn't know what to do, or perhaps, she didn't _want_ to do anything with it. Somehow she felt so tired inside, so exhausted of thinking, so _drained_. But her awareness—her curiosity—kept nagging at her about what had happened, about what saved her from her fate at the ravine. Unconsciously, she shut her eyes, feeling the calmness in herself whenever she steps inside the comforting solitude of her dark sanctuary. After some time, an image flickered again, as she saw herself alone on that cliff, walking steadily towards the deep ravine, and then the glorious dance of the angels, and then her silent scream before she was sent falling...

Wine-colored embers peered at her in her thoughts.

"_Are you alright?" he asked worriedly. He was clinging to her from behind, holding her tightly on her waist as if she was an untamable bird going to fly away if he let go._

"_Y-Yes," she choked, her own hands clutching at his protective arms._

"_I told you not to be reckless! What if something happened to you and I'm not here?" he burst out, his voice a mixture of anger and concern._

_She couldn't help but to grin impishly. "But you will always be here to save me, won't you, Angel?"_

_Angel..._

Her eyes shot open, a temporary jolt running down her body. Her back stiffened, not minding the fresh trigger of pain from her wounds. Something about her encounter made her remember another unfathomable memory, and it excited her so. Her heart pounding loudly in her chest, she tried very hard to remember...

It was dark. There were trees and a carpet of grass. The pale, hazy moon hung low and large over the windblown cliff. There were angels above her, a legion of them, dancing in a spiral dance towards the gates of Paradise. Their wings were beating to some unheard rhythm as it reverberated throughout the mountains. There were footsteps taken, slowly at first, and then gradually increasing their speed. There was a soundless scream shot out, the sickening feeling in the stomach announced by someone falling, and...

It was light. So light, and effortless. The breeze cuddled her cheeks and tousled her hair. The moonbeams danced upon her face as clouds seemed to carry her home. It was as if the wind itself carried her on its gentle wings.

Wings. Wings, indeed. She definitely remembered waking up to a pair of heavenly white wings flapping in rhythmic beat. The strong, but oddly gentle wings flowed out majestically from the back of his chest. The chest from where her head was cradled upon heaved in soft breathing, as if not to disturb her peaceful slumber. She could feel strong, firm arms that carried her and...

Black. A mass of dark hair swaying disconcertedly in perfect disarray in the blowing wind. Her half-lit eyes were still sleepy and heavy with tiredness, and her blurry vision denied her of his face.

"...Angel?" she clearly remembered herself murmur.

A sharp, hardly noticeable glance. In all her gauzy state, Marlene did not understand why, but she secretly wished to remember two glistening wine-colored embers to stare back at her.

But they weren't. Instead were sparkling orbs of deep sapphire blue.

"How is it that you can see me?" he half-whispered.

Marlene did not hear. Or maybe she did, but she did not have the strength to answer. "Angel..." she mumbled, before sinking once again to the all-too-familiar darkness.

Marlene's eyebrows slanted upwards, increasing the furrows in her forehead as she opened her bright emerald eyes. "It wasn't him," she murmured, a vast wave of emptiness overpowering her. "It wasn't him..."

------------------------------------------------

"Thou wished to see me, Most Ancient?" said a musical baritone as he alighted near the arched pathway in the formal gardens.

The silver-haired Elder stood brooding by the dew-laden rose bushes. His eyes were cast upwards, towards the slowly brightening dawn-stained sky that was full of promise and hope. His face was a mystery, an expression from an uncertain emotion Ontrose could not pinpoint. He turned and clasped his hands behind his back. "Ontrose, my son," he greeted the tall young man. "Thou hast returned from thy sojourn."

The raven-haired Ontrose bowed deeply in greeting, his long blue-black locks straying into his face. "My youthful charge needs constant supervision, I'm afraid," he apologized. "She seems to have a knack for killing herself in general, and falling from dangerously high places in particular."

The Ancient Angel laughed good-naturedly. "She is most naïve," he agreed. "But reckless nonetheless." The Elder eyed him calculatingly. "Is that all thou wish to tell me?"

"She is injured." Ontrose blurted innocently. "Her back doth bleed from some unknown lesion. But she will be fine by daybreak."

"Thine heart is as transparent as glass, my son." He smiled at him knowingly. "I can feel that there is something more in thee. Come, come... tell me, Ontrose."

The raven-haired angel glanced away guiltily. "Forgive me for my subterfuge, Holy. It is not mine intention to deceive thee. But now I freely confess that I am quite perplexed as to why she seems so... unordinary..." he explained. "For certes, she hath seen me," he confessed weakly. "When I flew to save her from her precarious predicament."

The Elder smiled briefly in spite of himself. It was just like what the stars have said. She is very near to her awakening. And, though it mystified him all the same, he was somewhat awed by how this frail and rash _mortal_ could easily break the chains he had hexed upon her before. He could not explain it—he wouldn't _dare_ to admit that it was fear creeping inside him once again—but there was a certain amount of jubilance, a profound sense of exultation in him. He was—could it be... _excited_?—to see what would become of this woman, and how would Destiny twist and bend her to its whims.

"Tell me, Ontrose," he began. "The wound on her back. Hath the bones started to grow?"

Ontrose looked at him, puzzled. But after a while, his sapphire eyes grew large in astonishment. "Thou couldn't mean... _impossible_!" he exclaimed.

The Ancient Angel, his silvery hair glowing golden in the rising sun, smiled at him. "Yes, my son. She is the one. The most dangerous angel ever created in Paradise."

------------------------------------------------

"Ow," Marlene winced softly as she groped for the wounds on her back. The feeling in her legs was slowly coming back now. She must have exhausted the muscles from all that running, and her exertion caused her to suffer briefly from cramps. She could move them now, but she opted to rest them for a while longer, reasoning to herself that she really needed to tend the cuts on her back, and it's not like she was in a great deal of a hurry to travel, anyway.

She took out her kerchief from her skirt's pocket, cursing herself slightly when she realized that she had left the towels inside her canvas bag beside the lake in the mountains. She used the square piece of cloth to wipe the dried blood around the wounds, wincing once again in the process. She traced the cuts with her fingers—two stab-like marks between her shoulder blades. Marlene tried as best as she could, but all that returned was blank as to where her wounds came from.

Marlene looked up. The sky glowed golden in the rising sun. "And to imagine that it was dark as hell in here a little while ago." She smiled. There's nothing quite like witnessing the glorious sunrise paint the whole world alive. The dark ominous trees were now a vibrant green, the distant sky a whimsical powder blue, and the rocky path stretching out before her a rich chocolate brown. Everything around her was slowly awakening with colors that were hinted with shafts of golden sunlight. She couldn't think of a better way to start off a morning.

She wistfully thought about her rescuer. _I wonder where he is right now._ She had many questions she wanted to ask him, questions about herself. Perhaps he could help her understand why she was like what she is, for she does not understand even her own self.

Marlene sighed. She's grown quite a habit of doing that for the past few days. She knew that it was foolish to think that an angel from above would oblige to show himself to her just to answer some petty and childish questions that were comparatively innocuous as to what they needed to attend to. It was wishful thinking, but... she wanted to see him again. If not to talk to him, to thank him, at least, for saving her life.

A thick, overgrown underbrush shook slightly as something rustled from behind it. Marlene, thinking that it was her blue-eyed savior descending to check in on her, jumped to her feet and eagerly went towards the visitor. "Angel? Is that you?" she asked happily.

Obviously, she was too caught up in her own musings to notice that the shaking of the bush _could_ imply danger. For just then, a creature none like Marlene has ever seen stepped out to greet her.

Her eyes widened in fear.

It licked its lips in malicious delight. "I smell blood..." it murmured.

The new morning was pierced by Marlene's blood-curdling scream.

------------------------------------------------

Ontrose looked behind him abruptly as a sound reached his ear. "What is it, brother?" The fair-haired messenger beside him asked.

He listened for a while, his brows knit deeply. "Nothing..." he muttered after a while. "I just thought I heard my charge a moment ago, is all."

His brother cocked his ear also. "I don't hear anything, Ontrose. And word of thy summons hath not reached us, if anything _was_ out of order. Methinks thy charge is alright." He smiled and patted his bare shoulder.

Ontrose stood listening for a while longer, then he sighed and shook his head. "I suppose thou art correct, brother mine," he grumbled. "Sometimes she's just too jumpy, that's all."

The messenger smiled at him. "Methinks she is not the only one."

Ontrose smiled, but let his retort pass.

"I wish that the Master hath time to talk to me," he grumbled. "A brother of ours still needs to deliver him a message."

"Why? Where art the Master?"

"He is sleeping, Ontrose. Methinks he hath not rested well last night."

"We cannot disturb him, then." Ontrose agreed. "Who art the angel that wishes to see him, brother? Is the message _that_ important?" he asked.

"He says that it is," he answered.

Ontrose gazed at him. "And from whom, pray tell, doth this important message came from?"

The messenger smiled wryly. "The Prince, Ontrose. From the angel we bound in unbreakable chains two nights since."

------------------------------------------------

The creature tightly clamped its furry paws upon its kittenish ears at the sound of Marlene's scream. "_Good Lord_, woman!" it hissed.

"A-A beast!" Marlene shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at the creature. "A-A hideous _beast_!"

"I beg your pardon!" it snapped. "Why, I've never been so _insulted_! It's enough for hunters to call me unladylike, but being mistaken for a beast from someone like _you_, is too much to take, thank you very much!" she pouted indignantly, daintily licking her paws and mumbling phrases which sounded very much like _stupid-looking human_ and _proud of how I look_.

Marlene was speechless. "I-I'm sorry." She blurted out.

"Hmph." The candy pink-haired furry thing snorted. "If _you_ weren't so annoying, I'd have scratched you to death." She purred. "What are you doing back here, anyway?" she demanded.

Marlene blinked. "B-Back here?" she stuttered. "I f-fell—"

"I thought I told you never to come back here again." She interrupted.

Marlene looked at her sharply. "You've seen me before?" she asked, taking a few steps forward.

"Deaf as well as stupid and annoying, eh?" she sarcastically purred, her long tail swishing back and forth. The kittenish girl eyed her suspiciously. "Talk about ruining one's breakfast. Go on, I won't pounce on you anymore, lest some sword-wielding maniac charge on me again." She said as she turned around to walk away.

"Wait!" Marlene jumped, catching her roughly in the arm. "What on _earth_ are you talking about? When have you seen me? What do you mean 'pounce anymore'?" she demanded. One of her eyebrows shot up shrewdly. "What maniac?" she added inquisitively.

The she-cat snatched her arm back. "Geez, woman, watch it! My fur is sensitive!" she said, rubbing her arm. "And they call _us_ savages!" she sneered.

Marlene gritted her teeth. "I'm sorry. I was caught off guard."

"That doesn't surprise me," she snorted.

Marlene clenched her fists. This infuriatingly annoying... _thing_ is testing the limits of her patience! "You see, I've been quite... _upset_ lately. Long story."

She smirked at her. "That doesn't surprise me, either."

"Would you please just stop being so damn _annoying_ and let me finish?" Marlene hissed.

She merely snickered, but did what she was told.

Marlene calmed herself with big breaths. "I'm very sorry to trouble you," she said, her green gaze unwavering. "But you seem to have some information about myself that I need. You see, I've completely lost my memories, and so if you would be so _kind_ as to tell me what you know about me," she took a deep, long breath, her bright eyes sincere. "I would be _ever_ so _grateful_."

The she-cat looked at her with apparent astonishment. "Now _that's_ surprising," she murmured.

"I know. I don't know how my memories got erased, too."

"I was talking about you being so polite and grateful."

Marlene gave her a chilly stare but said nothing.

The pink-haired creature pawed her ears affectionately then looked at her. "Unfortunately, I still have business to attend to. And since _you_ have deprived me of my breakfast now..." she pouted, looking behind her back in the thick forest. "I have to get from this open clearing before those psycho hunters find me."

Marlene sighed exasperatedly. "Please wait," she pleaded. "At least tell me one thing you know before you go!"

She turned to the frustrated blond girl, her feline eyes calculating her. "Alright, fine." She said with a wave of her paws. "But it's not like I know _that_ much."

Marlene sighed with relief. "That's okay. Anything will help." She breathed. "_Anything._"

The she-cat rolled her glinting eyes upwards and tossed her pink hair. "Geez, woman, show a little bit of respect for yourself." She said with disgust.

Marlene grinned sheepishly as the creature looked about her apprehensively, her ears twitching. "Okay. See, the last time I saw you, was..." she pointed to a tree, which Marlene thought looked like every other tree in the forest. "There. Under that tree, you see?" she said. "You were snoring in your encampment, which happened to be _my_ territory."

"I do not _snore_," Marlene weakly quipped, listening eagerly.

"You did, too." she off-handedly retorted. "Anyway," she continued. "I was hungry, you had provisions, and since no one was looking and you _were_ trespassing... one thing led to the other and next thing I know, I was sorely rubbing a black eye and was watching you and that sword-wielding maniac friend of yours leave my territory for good." She looked at her pointedly. "Or so I thought."

Marlene wasn't impressed. "That's _all_?" she asked.

"What do you mean, 'that's all'?" she snapped. "I spent a _week_ nursing that bruise, and was forced to hunt with only _one freakin' eye_ after that, thanks to _you_." She accused.

"Sorry." She could not help but smile. "Don't you remember anything else?" My name? Or our destination, perhaps?" she asked, snapping her fingers.

"Hmm..." the she-cat thought. "I don't know your name... like I'd _want_ to know your name," she added sarcastically. "But you _did_ mention that you two were going to Gaea."

The name made Marlene's heart jump. "Gaea?"

"Yes, Miss I-need-to-repeat-everything-I-say-twice, _Gaea_." She licked her paw. Then, seeing the dumb look in Marlene's eyes, added, "You know, the place you humans call Paradise."

There was that word again. Marlene stiffened her back slightly as a sharp pang triggered an ancient memory to resurface.

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_This is definitely Paradise. The sky is clearer and bluer here than the sky down below. The leaves on the trees are greener, the sea of grass more lustrous. The roiling hills and plains were dotted with acres and acres of mildly-scented wildflowers in every color of the rainbow. The waters that gently embrace the dry lands are purer, crystalline and sweeter than any other she had ever experienced on earth. Everything in here is different; even the winds that blow seem to be whistling a yearning song. The animals that roam freely are so tame, you can reach out to touch them, and they will not scamper away._

_As she looked around this lush and wondrous scenery, drinking in the beauty of the entire splendor Paradise offered her, her Angel came up to her carrying fruits which sweet-smelling scents were like beyond compare._

_Yes, this was _definitely_ Paradise._

_She laughed a merry tinkle of a laugh, scooping the crystal-clear water from the pool under her feet and splashing her angel in childlike manner._

_He closed one eye as a droplet brushed his beautiful face. "Be careful, you might get your wings wet." He gently chided._

_She laughed once more and proudly unfolded her tiny wings. She giggled as she paraded and danced about in the pool, splashing tiny jewels of water about her in the process. She kept laughing and giggling in pure mirth, and her voice was like a song no kind of siren could ever reproduce. It was the sweetest thing he had ever hoped to see; she was like a wind-caressed, sun-kissed sea nymph—no, a _goddess_—full of vibrancy and innocence that the whole universe itself seemed too unfit to contain the light she brings._

_He couldn't help but to smile at her. And eventually, join her into joyous bursts of laughter._

_She smiled at him and giggled. "What are you so happy about?"_

_He didn't answer, but merely continued to laugh, letting the whole blissful moment pass. Then, he slowly walked towards her, gently brushed an offending lock of sunshine hair from her endearing face, a warm look in his eyes._

_She smiled broadly at him. It made her whole world light up seeing him happy and smiling like that. There was a sparkle in his passionate amber eyes that wasn't there before. The hardness and indifference in him when she first met him had been replaced by an air of warmth, and it made her very happy to see him like this._

_He chuckled softly and brushed her cheek. "You are the sun, Hitomi," he exclaimed extravagantly. "That's why Gaea is so thriving and alive. For you are here, and your radiance gives them life."_

_Her glorious emerald eyes widened at the sound of her name. It felt like butterflies; sounded like sweet music every time he says it. She laughed childishly and jumped to embrace his neck, catching him off guard and causing him to fall backwards unto the softly grass-carpeted floor. They tumbled for a while, a knot of woven arms, hair and legs as they laughed their cares away._

_And they stayed like that, his cheek caressing her wealth of golden hair which was spilled across his strong chest, her head nestling comfortably on the groove of his neck. Her one hand buried in his tangle of black hair, while his one hand gently embraced the back of her waist. Their two free hands were connected, the fingers intertwined in a lovers' embrace, in a silent promise telling each other that neither will ever let go._

_It was an eternity of sheer tenderness. A moment they both wanted to last forever._

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Marlene arched backwards, her back twitching and giving her an almost inhuman pain. Her bright eyes were bulging out of their sockets, her lungs were about to be torn apart as her mouth opened wide to send out an ear-splitting scream.

It did not stop. Spasm after spasm of indescribable pain surged within her. She was like being eaten from the inside; or being sawed by a red-hot rusty butter knife. Only, the sensation wasn't exactly like that. It was worse. A thousand times worse.

"Gyaaah!" she gurgled, falling to her knees and clawing desperately at the ground. Thick, dark blood oozed from her humped back, staining her blouse. "It's painful! It's _painful_!!!" she howled, tears dropping one by one as she gritted her teeth and moaned in pain.

The she-cat had clamped her ears down when Marlene had started screaming. She took a sharp, angry hiss and easily jumped beside the writhing girl. "What _are_ you _doing_, woman?" she growled. "The hunters will _hear_ us!!!"

"So _painful_!!!" she shrieked in a strangled voice as she embraced herself tightly. The she-cat noticed that her fingertips were smeared with blood from all that clawing at the hard earth. She glanced at the poor girl's violently shuddering back, and noticed two bulbous humps forming in between her shoulder blades.

The humps twitched from underneath her blouse, and Marlene's bulging eyes rolled so far back that only the whites could be seen. "_Gyaaah_!!!" she screeched painfully.

The she-cat shut her eyes tightly as she clamped her kittenish ears again. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you, woman?" she angrily hissed as she tore Marlene's blouse away.

The creature's face turned into a definite shade of green as she tightly clamped one furry paw over her mouth, controlling herself not to throw up. "_Good Lord_, woman!" she said with disgust as Marlene's blood-chilling scream seared the heavens.

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The stars have stopped murmuring. All were dead silent as her screams shook each and every constellation in the galaxy.

The Ancient Angel opened his eyes as screams of inhuman suffering reverberated in every dark crevice of the palace. _And so it begins._

The flaxen-haired messenger looked shaken as he searched for his raven-haired brother. The shrieks of pain that haunted his ears seem to be seeping inside his bones as well. "Ontrose!" he found him at last. "What _was_ that?"

Pale-faced and frightened, Ontrose's only answer was an uncertain shiver.

_The most dangerous angel ever created in Paradise._

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Blood spurted from Marlene's sliced back. The bones from her shoulder blades were forcing themselves out, or _extending_ themselves out, and it pierced through fat, muscle, tissue and skin. Marlene was biting her lip, now bleeding and turning purple from the pressure of her teeth. The she-cat tried to control her revulsion at the hideous sight before her and averted her cat eyes to look for a long, flat piece of dried vine. She found one, and she hastily wrapped it around her thumb. When the thickness was enough for her taste, she dashed with catlike speed by the heavily-breathing and writhing girl and tried to get her attention by gently slapping her cheeks.

"Hey! Here, bite this instead, or you'll end up losing a lip and a tongue!" she said, offering her padded thumb.

Marlene gratefully obliged and bit hard.

The she-cat winced.

Her screaming was muffled as the contractions came and went, great drops of tears and sweat falling to mix with the bloodstains on the ground. The humps twitched and shivered as they made their exit out of her cracking and heavily-bleeding skin. From somewhere in the forest, hoarse voices and hurried footsteps alarmed the creature, looking nervously behind her as she, too, bit her lower lip.

"Woman, we've got to get out of here!" she huffed tensely, wincing as the girl hardened her bite.

Marlene suddenly let go of the thumb, a string of saliva visible in the glint of the morning sun. "No!" she barked, heaving as the spasms grew more and more close together. "Please, just stay with me in here for a while longer!"

The cat creature looked at her angrily. "Woman! We can't _stay_ here any longer! The hunters are coming, and if they see you like that, they'll_ kill _you also!" she growled.

The humps convulsed violently. The blood spurted as the fissures in her skin widened, announcing that it is very near to come out. Marlene howled like a mad animal.

"_Woman_!!!" the cat hissed angrily, her fanged teeth bare.

"My—name—is... _Hitomi_!!!" she howled in an otherworldly voice as she writhed and convulsed in pain. The she-cat stumbled backwards, feline eyes wide in shock and aghast as she witnessed royal crimson blood spray out as a pair of bloody, barely-feathered wings proudly emerged to greet the heralding dawn like a newborn infant from her gently curving arched back.

"...Great... merciful... _God_..." the she-cat choked.

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From somewhere in the darkness, a melodious tinkling echoed within the musty cave as the unbreakable chains rattled loudly from all his sudden jerky movements when his bloodshot eyes opened abruptly.

"Hitomi..." he breathed. "I long for the day when we shall meet again..."

_Tsuzuku_

* * *

_He chuckled softly and brushed her cheek. "You are the sun, Hitomi," he exclaimed extravagantly. "That's why Gaea is so thriving and alive. For you are here, and your radiance gives them life."_


	6. The Boy Who was With You

_Konbanwa, minna-san! I have returned from the grave! I am late once again, but at least I am alive once more! And at least the recitals are over. Although the assignment she gave us is a real ass..._

_Anyway, this is probably the last thing that I thought I'd ever say, but I never thought that the hospital ward would be a great place to write a fanfic. Hmm. That didn't make any sense, did it? See, my grandmother got confined for four days and four nights, and I was on night duty (actually, I must have looked like a zombie during those days—working from eight to five then straight to the hospital till seven the next morning—for the whole time period). Who could sleep when all those nurses kept checking up on her every hour? And _then_ give her laxatives? When she's in _dextrose_? But who would've thought, eh? Nothing quite like the smell of freshly-bleached bed sheets and spotless bedpans to keep that old grey matter percolating, I guess. I spent those sleepless nights scribbling on my handy-dandy notebook, probably looking like a lunatic since I was only using my phone for light. Hehehe. Alright, enough of that stuff._

_I also forgot to mention in the last chapter's footnotes (oh, wait... there _were_ no footnotes) about _OntroseOntrose_'s name, character, description, and everything else came from _David and Leigh Eddings' _supplementary book _Polgara the Sorceress_. I do not own the book, or Ontrose, for that matter, not even in my dreams. I believe that _Aunt Pol_ has the right to own every ounce of him._

_Answers to the reviews! Thanks to all of you who took a little bit of your time to send me a message. First of my list of many thanks goes to _**Macky**_-san. I'm glad you like it so far. I will continue as soon as possible... I hope._

_Ah, ­_**Tramie**­-_san! Thank you for your review. Yes, that's Merle, the furry little thing, and I'm glad that you also enjoyed their meeting. We're all about to see what Hitomi has in store for us (at last... I can finally write using her real name!). I'm also hoping to see Van into the story soon, but what can I say? The keyboards are moving by themselves (not literally, of course, for that would be scary). But still, we can but hope..._

**Kawaii Online**_-chan! Hey, you've got a new fic up! That's great! (Toothy smile) Glad you liked my story. Now don't go babbling the ending and later chapters to the whole review list! You're the only one who knows the upcoming plots. So if anything will leak out, you are subject to my diabolically diabolical™ revenge. (Evil cackle) Just kidding, just kidding. You know I could get back at you using other less, uh, diabolical ways. Like smashing your new mp3 CD that I gave you. Or printing several copies of your baby pictures, yeah. Or stuffing the inside of your violin with whipped cream! Yeah, that one's good. Or... Or... Hiring a Teletubby fanatic to chat with you endlessly until you are finally out of your wits! The list goes on! (Evil Cackle) I miss you! See you next semester!_

_Thank you very much, _**Anime Monkey**_-san! I'm updating! I'm updating (though not very good, and not very punctual)!_

_Once again, thank you, _**Wink**_-sama, for the review! (Toothy grin) I don't think I could say that a chapter is finished without your review. I know where the verb tense shifts were—sometime in the later parts, when Hitomi remembered what Paradise was like. But that was intentional (aha, loophole)! (Sheepish smile) I sure hope that the music I incorporate would be _in sync_ with my writings! I wouldn't want the whole _piece_ to go _flat_ on me! (Aah! Bad pun! Bad pun! No more!)_

_And lastly, for _**Princess Neptune**_. Ohimesama, thank you for reading my little work! Please bear with me for a while longer... (at least until the next chapter arrives) Do you really want to know why she's the most dangerous angel created? Well, we are about to find out..._

_Sadame-chan_

_102504_

_

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Chapter Five:  
_The Boy Who was with You_

They seemed to be on fire, glistening red in the morning sunshine.

Hitomi drew short, shallow breaths. The fatigue her inhuman ordeal gave her had overwhelmed her greatly. Color was absent from her face, her golden hair unruly and damp with sweat as they stuck out in all directions and plastered themselves about her cheeks and forehead. Her newly-formed wings stretched and contracted in every breath, long sticky strings of thick blood and fat dangling about the pair's tiny structure, glistening as if catching every drop of sunshine on the new dawn. Her knees were trembling from exhaustion, her whole body numb and frozen, it seemed. Finally, she slumped forward, her weary eyes sealed shut as she fell to the ground motionless, the darkness claiming her into oblivion.

The she-cat stayed rooted to her spot. Eyes wide, mouth agape, fingers and claws clutching at the dry soil underneath her. Like Hitomi, she, too, had her face drained of every color, and her knees were also trembling. Her mind was numb that her whole system was frozen in shock—even as much as momentarily forgetting the existence of the delightful little bruise on her left thumb. After some time when she started to see spots before her eyes, her mind suddenly snapped and told her that she needed air to live, and she let out the breath she had been holding explosively.

Tentatively, falteringly, the she-cat crawled towards the sleeping Hitomi, her inquisitive cat eyes deliberately avoiding to look at the tiny wings adorning the girl's back. She knew she had far too much interest in them that it was getting dangerous; she knew she had to avoid looking at her wings. She must not let herself be tempted to touch and—who knows?—investigate further this... impeccably curious little thing that she had never seen before. Her mind kept telling her not to think about it, which made her think about it even more. The powerful urge to run a finger down that bloody appendage was so ridiculously strong, she was twitching in every imaginable place that could twitch.

Surprisingly, the feline's previous revulsion about this whole thing had gone. The uncontrollable curiosity that suddenly swept upon her—like a really nasty itch—had altered her prior views—not to mention constitution—concerning Hitomi's new wings. She became quite fascinated of it, being a creature of strange origins herself, and she inched towards her, bending down low enough, sniffing the wings, brushing her whiskers about its still-wet feathers. The catlike creature prodded about the pair of wings—tails wagging, ears twitching and all—with bright feline eyes and a charming childlike persistence. She was a queer and playful little thing, an adorable little creature as nosy and curious as a—well, a cat. Finally, losing herself to temptation, she finally decided with a lick of her lips that touching the wings with one furry little finger wouldn't hurt.

Curiosity killed the cat, or so people say.

The furry bundle breathed for a moment, nose and ears trembling in excitement. But although she had decided, she was still wary; she would doubtfully extend a finger, slowly closing in on the peacefully sleeping girl, only to snatch it back at the last possible moment. Once, she was so close to touching them, the wings. But Hitomi groaned and fidgeted from her sleep, and the she-cat had to take back her probing finger again.

"This is getting ridiculous," she muttered crossly.

Then, with a grand flirt of her blushing hair, she bravely put forth one clawed finger to finally touch the curiously trembling foreign object.

"We're getting closer!" a hoarse voice from behind shouted, only a few meters away.

"There are tracks in these parts also, boss!" came another male voice.

The she-cat spun around, her normal predatory instincts finally catching up on her. "Damn it!" she cursed under her breath. How could she have forgotten? Hunters roam around their forests like an infernal plague. Quickly snatching her hand back, she nimbly doubled back to head for the safety of the nearby bushes, away from the open dirt road.

She stopped midway and turned her head back.

Hitomi, in all her glory, laid face down, mumbling and snoring, oblivious and totally vulnerable to any God-knows-what the hunters had in store for her.

The feline snorted, turned and abruptly walked away. What does she care? Why does _she_ have to care? She didn't owe that girl any favors, she hardly knew her. In fact, she _doesn't_ know her! She's just a trespasser on her territory that should have been disposed of long ago. To hell with what the hunters will do with her. It's better her than me or my kind, she thought.

_My kind._

The she-cat stopped to think. In the middle of the current turmoil and approaching danger, she risked her own life to think for a moment. _If I left her all alone like this... _she thought. _Then I wouldn't be any different from _them

And so before she could take cover, she had already decided (but it's not like she didn't go shutting her eyes and clenching her teeth for a good five minutes before taking action. In fact, that's exactly what she did); she quickly wheeled around once more and dashed to pick up the still sleeping girl. _Just quickly get this over with!_ She huffed while shutting her eyes.

"You owe me big time, Hitomi," the feline breathed in her ear as they disappeared in the thick forest, a resounding "Mm-hmm," from Hitomi trailing close behind.

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There was silence in Gaea. The birds twittered, the streams ran noisily alongside the rushing wind on the treetops. Crickets and cicadas played their interlude of summer sonata, accompanied by the heavy croaking of the bullfrogs. From atop the clock tower in the middle of Paradise, the rich sound of the golden bell was tolling for quite some time now. Everything in paradise was doing what they were doing for the past centuries in existence; in fact, everything in Gaea was like how it was before. Life goes on uninterrupted, still flowing, drifting blissfully along its destined path, totally unaware about everything but its existence itself. Such was the case in Paradise. To attain eternal happiness, everything must be perfect. Everything must be in order. It was what paradise offered to anyone who would heed its call, and indeed, it was what they got.

And yet, the stillness was evident in Gaea. The angels—magnificent creatures who were created to rule the endless skies—all worked in silence inside the capital. Nobody made a sound. They were like drones, mere nameless heads just orderly and promptly doing their routines with bleak, somber faces. And it was not like nobody had anything to say; in fact, nearly all of them had new questions nagging about in their heads. But they were too caught up in their own reality, too afraid and stubborn to admit that something immensely earthshaking had indeed affected them, and so they stayed in silence.

It was a scary thing to behold, and it was such; the most powerful rulers of the heavens were secretly, unknowingly fearing and doubting their own power and existence themselves.

Casting sidelong glances, the faithful messenger inconspicuously came up Ontrose's side and murmured. "'Tis a most peculiar sight."

Ontrose glanced at him through the corner of his eyes. "Peculiar might be too weak a word, brother mine."

The two of them walked by the hallways, passing throngs and throngs of angels busily walking to and fro, going about their own ways, friends and acquaintances not even bothering to greet one another.

"What doth thou thinkest of this, dear friend?" the blond angel asked. "That—That _event_ that happened last night... what _was_ that, exactly?"

Ontrose pursed his lips. "I'm not entirely sure myself. But methinks it is somehow connected with my youthful charge."

"Y-You mean?!" he answered incredulously, lowering his voice down to a whisper after catching a few odd looks from passersby. "You mean the girl from the ravine? What was her name—_Hitomi_?" he breathed, lowering his voice more so on the last word.

Ontrose nodded. "The Master hath mentioned something before which hath troubled me deeply." He looked at his comrade as they reached the arched doorway to the castle's armory. "He told me that she is the most dangerous angel ever created."

The messenger's eyes grew large, then narrowed down abruptly. "Ontrose, what art thy intentions?" he shook his head even before Ontrose could answer. "No, it is far too dangerous! The Master wilt not forgive thee if thou wouldst ask him of this... unspeakable and legendary offense." He looked at him directly. "Besides, thou knowest that the Master wilt not give answers to thy questions."

Ontrose reached for his sword which was hanging on the wall and buckled it at his belt. "I was not thinking of asking the Master about it, friend."

The messenger looked at him quizzically. "Then to whom? Where art thou going, Ontrose?"

The one called Ontrose, Hitomi's raven-haired appointed guardian walked towards the tall arched open windows, unfolded his majestic wings, flared and thrust himself upwards, the soft flapping of his wings eddying the grass on the courtyard below. "To someone who knows first-hand of the accident." He turned to face his gaping brother. "To the immortal prince bound in chains."

"No, Ontrose!" his brother howled after him, extending his arm in an attempt to get back his brother, his friend.

But he was already too late. Ontrose was merely a shadow disappearing in the distant horizon.

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Hitomi was dreaming again. In her dream, she seemed to revisit certain places and events in her life. At first, everything was fathomless, and pitch-black—just like it used to be—and soon enough, space and matter enveloped each other to form an insubstantial plain underneath her feet and an endless sky above her head.

"Marlene," said a warm, nurturing voice from behind.

Hitomi looked behind her to see her sister Millerna, still beautiful even in mourning, holding a tray full of steaming baked buttered bread. They were suddenly transported back to the village, trees and huts slowly sprouting like mushrooms around her, and the distant sparkling sea rushing in from the shadowed edges beyond the mountains inside her envisioned reality. They were standing outside their hut, the soft fertile earth soothing under her feet and the warm, gentle sea breeze caressing her exposed arms and neck. The smell from Millerna's tray was so real and tempting, Hitomi almost wanted to reach out to taste them. In the far-off night sky, colorful exploding stars filled the air with soft booming noises, the fireworks' shifting lights giving the whole scene an ethereal glow.

"Bless me, Marlene, dear, have some bread!" Millerna exclaimed, extending her tray of goodies. "It must have been _so_ tiring to come back from the graves."

Hitomi gently pushed the tray back. "I'm sorry, Millerna," she said lightly. "But I'm not Marlene. My name is Hitomi, and I'm not your sister."

Millerna froze for a second, her face a mixture of confusion and amusement. "What are you saying, Marlene? You're my sister."

Hitomi shook her head. "No, Millerna. You're sister… she—she disappeared a long time ago."

"Stop saying such nonsense!" Millerna snapped curtly.

"I'm not the real Marlene. Don't you remember? You just gave me that name because I couldn't remember mine."

Millerna backed away, her face shifting from denial to sadness to that of anger. "That's not true! You're _lying_! You're Marlene! You're my sister!" she exclaimed. Her face creased into an accusing look. "How could you _say_ such things? Do you want to hurt me after all that I've done for you?"

Hitomi took a step closer and shook her head. "No, Millerna, what I say is the truth…" she said in the gentlest way imaginable. "Marlene is dead."

Millerna's lower lip trembled, and she let go of the tray, freeing her hands to tore at her hair, tears flowing down her flushed cheeks. "No, it _can't_ be true!"

Her sister's cries of pain tore at Hitomi's heart. "I'm sorry, Millerna…" she said simply. "I'm sorry… but it is the truth, and you know it."

Millerna glared at her. "But Allen resurrected you from the dead!"

And then Hitomi sank rapidly, her whole world turning into a swirling blue mess. From above her head was a jutting rock from the stone wharf, but when she tried to get a hold of it, the stone melted, hardening once more after a while, only to melt once again upon touching it.

And then, without even noticing it, Allen was there, dependable as ever. His strong but gentle hand came plunging into the swirling blue water to grab her own. "Marlene, the bucket is already full." He said in his rich musical voice.

He fished her out of the water without much effort and helped her on her feet while Hitomi was patiently wiping the stinging saltwater from her face. "Let's go for a swim a while later." He invited enthusiastically.

"No, Allen, I'd rather not—" she stopped as she looked at him. It wasn't Allen exactly; it was a totally different person in Allen's loose-fitting clothing. This person had a medium build, glowing caramel skin, and vaguely familiar unruly thick black hair. "_You_!" she gasped, fixing her brilliant emerald eyes on his face.

But there wasn't any face. His face was just a flat, formless mass of rich dark flesh.

Hitomi was taken aback for a second, not believing that she could not see his face. Her face twisted in surprise, her feet unsteadily took two steps backwards.

"What's the matter?" Allen's voice casually asked. "Aren't you going to seduce me?"

Hitomi blinked and flushed slightly. "I-I... I didn't really mean that," she stuttered.

Allen—or whoever he was that was wearing Allen's clothing—stood silently for a moment.

Hitomi bowed her head. "I... I didn't really think… I mean I wasn't thinking... I mean…" she guiltily blushed, her fingers twisting themselves into intricate and complicated knots.

"But I thought that you loved me," he said flatly, bringing Hitomi back with him.

Her head snapped up. "I d-did, I mean, I do, I mean…"

"But I thought that you loved me."

Hitomi came up to him. "I do, Allen! I do, I _do_!" she clung to him, close to tears. The feelings that she have suppressed until now have welled themselves up once more. Her emotions—her love for Allen—that she thought she had overcome, have somehow been rekindled and took aflame again. And she had just noticed for the first time, that no matter how much she avoided it, no matter how much she escape, endure and forget about it, no matter how long it takes for her feelings to find their way home towards her heart, the love that has always been there finds her. Just like sweet poison. Suicide's embrace. A most welcomed madness.

Just like a curse.

Hitomi's grip on his shirt loosened noticeably. Looking back at the man she was holding to, as if seeing him for the first time. And then she realized: this person standing right in front of her was _not_ Allen. He was someone else. Was she directing that love for the _real_ Allen? Or for someone else? For the true hidden person standing right in front of her?

"But I thought that you loved me…" he repeated hollowly. Gingerly he shook Hitomi's hands from their grasp, turned and ran away towards the darkened end of the wharf.

Hitomi started to run after him. "Wait!" she stretched out her hand. "Wait, Allen! I mean…" she shouted after him, slowing down for a minute. She felt a strange sense of prickling from inside her stomach, as if telling her something, creeping slowly upwards, until her whole being, even the farthest recesses of her soul could feel it. "Angel… you're my angel!" Hitomi gushed, bright eyes growing wide with that epiphany. She gathered her legs and ran at full speed. "Angel, wait!"

Without warning, the scenery changed. She was now atop a grassy cliff lined with swaying trees, running towards the deep gorge. From above her, thousands of angels flew by along their starless road, like flocks and flocks of birds flying south for the long winter. Hitomi stared upwards as she ran, too mesmerized by the heavens to realize that she was already at the cliff's edge.

She stumbled and fell fast. And even though that she fell almost endlessly, that the sick feeling inside her stomach was making her want to throw up, Hitomi wasn't scared at all. The darkness had enveloped her, but she continued to descend faster and faster. And, strangely enough, this feeling of falling was not new to her, somehow. Oh, yes, she definitely knew that she really _did_ fell in the ravine, but this feeling—this memory, perhaps—of her was even before that event. Hitomi was very much baffled by this mystery. But before she could remember exactly when it was, an angel came swooping down on her, scooping up her legs and supporting her back as they glided to safety.

She quickly looked at his formless face, still quite puzzled and disappointed that she still could not see him, and noticed the strands of black hair billowing in the cool wind. She remembered that the one who had indeed rescued her had long flowing hair of the same color. This one, however, had not. It was just as dark, yes, but his was short and unruly.

Hitomi gently put a longing hand on his cheek. It felt warm, so warm and… nice. Nice and _right_. As if her hand was especially made to fit the masculine contour of his cheek. "Why won't you show yourself to me?" she asked softly.

"Perhaps it is not the time for you to see me." He replied in his low monotone voice.

"When will the time come?"

"Perhaps tomorrow. Perhaps someday. Perhaps never. I do not know."

"Surely that time will come," she said weakly, for which the only confirmation or rejection she got was silence. "It's strange," she began. "But for some reason, I seem to know who you are. It's like I… it's like I feel it in my bones. I've felt this kind of thing ever since you called to me."

"Did I really do just that?"

Hitomi blinked uncertainly. "Why, o-of course. I mean, you should have. I mean… haven't you?" she asked, only to receive silence once more. "It must have been you. Who else could it be?"

"But I am just a memory."

"Just a memory?"

The boy nodded briefly. "Just a memory… an incomplete one, at that. A memory that someday too soon will be forgotten…"

Hitomi fidgeted anxiously from her position. "Then show me! Complete my memory of you! Show me who you are so that I'll believe… so I won't forget…" her eyes softened. "So that I'll remember who I really am… and who you really are."

He was silent for a while, and Hitomi was _sure_ that she noticed him glancing at her, even though he had no face. "I would want to meet you, Hitomi, if it was destined for me to do so."

Hitomi's heart sank. "I always thought that we are the ones who make our own destinies."

"And that is why we have always been in deep sorrow. We never learn to accept what fate thinks what's best for us."

"Why? Is there really such a thing?" she asked half-mockingly.

He stopped for a second, as if taking into account the scornful words she had just said. "And you who makes your own destiny, do you believe that what you are doing will satisfy your need for happiness?"

"Yes, of course."

"Do you believe that you can _attain_ such happiness?"

"Yes." Hitomi answered confidently. "When I finally find and enter Paradise, then all my pain and suffering shall disappear forever, and will be replaced with eternal bliss."

"Why? Is there really such a thing?"

Hitomi stared at him blankly, unable to answer. It never occurred to her just to what the question pertained to, Paradise or eternal bliss itself. But whichever one it was, she had no truthful answer to tell. For all this time, she had been searching blindly, not knowing what exactly it was that she was searching for. It happened to her that she and the angel were just the same in that aspect. Even though she didn't offer herself right up at front, she _had_ given herself to destiny, by solely—and blindly—believing what her heart had been telling her what to do and where to go.

Does this mean that she, just like the angel, was destined to be in eternal torment?

But the truth or lie that was in her heart held far more conviction to her than ever before. Hitomi _knew_ what she saw. There exists a place called Paradise, and she knows it. She had seen it, with her own two eyes, on that fateful moonlit night. She knew she had felt it before, deep within her being, long before any shroud of darkness had veiled her past. She knew; therefore she believes.

Hitomi hadn't noticed—she wasn't exactly paying attention—that the scenery had changed itself again. She was now sitting on the dry dirt road she remembered waking up to this morning. She looked around her abruptly, but she soon found out that she was alone; her angel was nowhere to be found.

She stopped to think. Why can't she seem to remember who he was? Even though she would try so hard to stretch out her arm, trying to reach for the mask that forever hides his face from her memory, she could not seem to sink deep enough to even remotely touch the surface of his memory. It was as if a very powerful force—a magic of some kind, it seems—was keeping her from remembering him. Who, or, more importantly, _what_ was he, really? Was he really just a guardian to save her from danger? Or a lover, someone she cares for deeply, like Allen? Or perhaps he was something else. Maybe he was a maniac… just like what the she-cat had told her before.

And then, as if her thought had somehow summoned her, the pink-haired half-human, half-cat rolled out and pounced at her from behind, causing Hitomi to fall face-first on the ground.

Hitomi glanced behind her. The she-cat's aura was very different from when she met her this morning. Her hypnotizing eyes had a very dangerous cast in them. The feline gave a snarl and dug her sharp claws deep in her back.

Hitomi let out a yelp of pain. The stinging sensation she felt was _real_. "W-what are you doing?" she demanded, trying to free her arms from the cat's feet that were pinning them down to no avail.

"I'll kill you before you get a chance to kill me!" she growled lowly, clawing and hacking at Hitomi's now severely-wounded and bleeding back.

"K-kill you?!" Hitomi exclaimed, flinching. "I never wanted to do such a thing!"

"You very nearly succeeded the last time, bitch!"

The sky started to darken; deep and ominous rumbling sounds reverberated through the heavens. Thick, unyielding cumulonimbus clouds began to gather in the center, slowly creeping out to cover the empty sky. Hitomi looked back at the creature punishing her with a fearful and questioning eye. "Why… what had happened the last time we met?" she asked weakly.

Before she could answer, a massive lightning bolt struck somewhere along the fathomless terrain, temporary enveloping the whole scenario with luminescent light. And when the darkness returned after a few moments, a sinister, shadowy, ominous figure stood behind the clawing she-cat, behind Hitomi, wielding an awful-looking double-edged sword high up in the air, its mortal blades shining as if the sword itself gave off light.

The creature glanced behind her and let out a terrible hiss, jumping out and off of Hitomi's surging back. She was facing the shaded outline—a boy, as far as Hitomi can tell—snarling continuously and eyes flashing dangerously as she readied herself from the attack that she expected to come at any moment.

The boy did not move.

Hitomi got up on her feet unsteadily, her back surprisingly was still stinging from the feline's scratches. She turned to face the two, unmoving and cautious, both frightening in their own leagues. Hitomi grew edgier and edgier as the silence between them grew on, an unpleasant and foreboding presentiment welling up inside of her.

Finally, the boy walked slowly and steadily towards the cat. Hitomi glanced at her, catching a momentary flicker of panic and fear in her eyes. The creature secured herself, bending her knees lower in their stance and brandishing her long claws. But the uncertainty of the situation was evident on her face: what kind of damage could her claws possibly do against the sword?

And then the rain decided to join in the whole sorry mess. The tiny droplets as cold as ice stained Hitomi's face, her back, her arms, feeling warmer compared to the chilly event she was witnessing.

In one fluid motion, the she-cat tumbled and lunged forward, agilely sliding out of the sword's way and stretched out one clawed hand towards her enemy's vulnerable chest.

But the sword was quicker than her in every aspect imaginable.

Hitomi shut her eyes tight and let out a shrill scream as the feline's right arm fell to the hard ground with a soft sound. The blood sprayed out and gushed from her severed appendage, making horrid plopping noises as they spilled across the earth. The she-cat, her bright feline eyes bulging out of their sockets, screeched and writhed. She fell down the ground and tied herself into an intricate knot, kicking and screaming and cursing out in pain.

The determination of that creature was admirable, Hitomi would give her that. With a desperate wail, the she-cat sprang like a tight coil unleashed, her remaining clawed limb reaching for his throat instead. But even before she could reach to slash him, he deftly swung his sword to surgically cut off her other arm.

He then proceeded in cutting her left leg completely as well.

The feline crumpled to the ground, wailing and growling, spit foaming on her lips as she writhed and squirmed in her own pool of blood. The sickening odor of the gore tarnishing the battleground was almost too much for Hitomi. The smell was so strong, it seemed that she could actually taste the metallic tang in her mouth. Her stomach lurched and she gave out an acidic gurgle, and she had to cover her mouth with a shaking hand to keep it down.

But the murderous boy wasn't fished. The poor girl, shock very much evident on her tear-stained face, couldn't even hold herself in her time of unbearable suffering, being separated from her arms. Screaming hysterically as the boy stepped up before her, he cut off her other leg methodically, not minding the cries of mercy the unfortunate creature screamed at the top of her lungs.

It was during this time when Hitomi had wanted to run towards them to stop the boy herself, but the sick feeling in her stomach was getting worse, her whole world was spinning around her. It was as if something stayed her legs in their spot, for she could not command them to move as well.

After hacking the she-cat's tail to small pieces, the boy crouched, and then proceeded to slicing her belly open.

Hitomi pressed another hand over her mouth hard, shutting her eyes. She didn't want to see or hear anymore. She wanted it to stop! But how could she? Could she possibly turn away from the events that were unfolding before her eyes? She had to look again. She just _had_ to. And so she did.

The feline wasn't crying or screaming anymore. She was just gasping—like a fish out of water—big gulps of air in an effort to survive her ordeal. The thunder and lightning outbursts illuminate the whole dark scene. The boy was languidly crouched before the sliced belly. He had been careful to avoid any major organs upon slicing her, and so the creature had survived, barely. He was holding his sword loosely, the tip plunged inside the cat's intestines as he twirled and toyed with her guts.

The sickened Hitomi looked away a split-second after she saw what the boy was doing. Her eyes landed on something else. From only a few feet away from her, she saw the creature's severed arm and stared at it in horror.

The fingers were still twitching.

And Hitomi turned around to bend low and went on an extended bout of retching. It finally became too much for her to bear. When she had emptied her stomach, she was breathing heavily, her knees were rocking violently when she turned around to face them once more.

"Stop it…" she weakly whispered.

The boy yanked a fairly sizeable length of intestines and looped it around his sword, not minding the creature's louder gasping for air.

"Stop it!" she voiced out finally.

The boy stopped momentarily, as if he had heard her, letting two or three lightning bolts pass by. Then he loosened the tangle of guts from his weapon, wielded it high towards the unforgiving skies and aimed at the feline's head.

"No!" Hitomi shook her head, eyes wide and chest banging loudly.

The sword struck true. It connected with the she-cat's neck with a sickening crunch accentuated by Hitomi's hysterical screaming. But the blade could not completely sever the poor girl's hard spine, so she lay there, convulsing badly in her pool of blood, spit and tears as the boy mercilessly struggled to get his sword free.

She gurgled.

"Stop it!!!" Hitomi yelled at him, hands covering her ears and angry tears burning her eyes.

The boy heaved and hacked once more, only to jam the sword into the thick bone again.

"Stop it…" Hitomi sobbed, tear after tear falling uncontrollably. Her whole body shook as she sat on the damp earth, sobbing and crying for all that she was worth.

Hitomi lifted her face to gaze at the unfortunate creature. And even though her head was connected by a mere inch of bone and skin to the rest of her body, somehow she managed to turn her head towards Hitomi.

Their eyes met. And perhaps their souls as well.

What transpired between them, what passed between them in that fleeting moment, no one knew. But a kind of spiritual understanding grew out of that instant. It was as though the she-cat's sole purpose was to show Hitomi what kind of creature the boy who kept haunting her dreams really was.

"A monster," Hitomi murmured, her eyes large and hollow, gazing unconsciously at the boy's great final blow which sent the creature's head bouncing off the road to roll a few inches away from her. Hitomi, her whole body and spirit depleted of any energy to react coherently, stared at the severed head with a horrified look on her face.

And it stared right back at her.

Hitomi wailed. Not even the rain could wash away the salty downpour away. She was so stricken and horrified at what was shown unto her. And it's not because everything around her happened for a reason, but because everything that had happened was so _real_. And it made her think.

_Was_ it real?

The boy stood before her, still holding the evil sword, the rain gently washing away the blood and dishonor it has caused. Hitomi looked up at the dark figure and saw two glowing embers boring into her soul, gazing at her entire being.

They seemed to be on fire, glistening red in the pouring rain.

------------------------------------------------

Hitomi slowly drifted away from sleep. She could feel her awareness gradually working its way back into her system again. She could still taste the blood, feel the pang and the rain, though. Everything was just too damn real for her comfort.

Heavy-lidded verdant eyes began to peer their way around, hazily etching out the figures that faintly reveal themselves upon her. One hand touched her cheek and wiped the tears that had unconsciously flowed.

"_She_ seems to be awake," said a deep, detached female voice.

"Quite a while that _she_ has been crying," agreed another.

Hitomi abruptly opened her eyes, becoming suddenly alert at the voices that had intruded themselves upon her. Daylight streamed in through the open arched entrance, the light temporarily blinding her, only to reveal a silvery half-cat brooding above her motionless form.

Her deep azure eyes stared coolly at Hitomi. "Finally." She purred nonchalantly.

------------------------------------------------

"Two bad decisions in one day, Merle, two bad decisions." The bubbly pink-haired kitty mumbled half-coherently. She was squatted beside a busy stream, where schools and schools of pink salmon struggled and fought their way upstream.

Merle dutifully picked another plump-bellied fish and stuffed its furiously wriggling tail in her mouth. Her left hand was already busy tending the abundant pile of her catch that were desperately jumping their way back to the water, and her right hand was, of course, needed in swiping the fresh and juicy creatures out of the water, so there was no other choice but to use every possible storage place available, in this case, her mouth. She _did_ realize—a bit too late, perhaps, but she did realize nonetheless—that she had one more mouth to feed. "I shun' have gun hunning this murning." She mumbled. "It's a _beeg_ missake mee-ing 'er!"

Merle's furry eyebrows met. The mere thought of Hitomi puts her in a sour mood. She had originally planned on hunting game—rabbits or, if lucky, a deer or a wild pig—so she and her sisters could eat a bit more. Of course, salmon was plentiful this time of the year, but they already had fish yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. She knew that she shouldn't be picky; that as a hunted animal she should eat whatever was available, but it was all getting so _tiresome_, really...

So she had followed the tantalizing scent of fresh blood she caught carried by a passing breeze. "How lucky!" was what she thought then. Little did she know that that thought would turn into "Ah, hell and damnation!" just a while later. All the while she had been picturing a nice, alone, helpless, lean—preferably fat, but she had to imagine something more feasible—and _wounded_ animal… perfect! Her mouth watered at the mere thought of all that fresh raw meat.

But that was her first mistake.

Merle harrumphed and stuffed another tail in her mouth. Now, Merle wasn't paying much attention, for her thoughts were wondering to what happened early that morning, but her mouth was getting quite crowded by this time. There is only a certain number of fishtails one can stuff in one's mouth, and Merle was getting quite near to that number. If she continued to stuff salmon after salmon like what she's doing, soon there would be no more space left.

"Mmfmmhm hmmumhmf homfh." She mumbled to no one in particular, which, when spoken with an unblocked mouth and moveable tongue, would translate as "this is all Hitomi's fault".

If Hitomi hadn't sprouted wings at that very instant, then she shouldn't have been very much interested. The nerve of that girl to purposely tempt her! Bah, her wings were not _that_ splendid, anyway. They were all tiny and gooey and icky, and had these cute little wet feathers that were still folded about the fascinating bone structure of her delicately-shaped wings…

Then Merle wouldn't have the mistake of lingering there to prod the wretched curious thing, if Hitomi hadn't enticed her. Yup, it was all _Hitomi_'s evil doing.

That was her second mistake, but it seems there was more. She also had decided—badly, she conceded. It must have been one of her off days. She had nothing but bad decisions the whole day. Hitomi was to blame for her course of decisions, of course—to save the girl from the hunters. And that, to her, was her biggest, _stupidest_, unacceptable mistake.

She grumpily stuffed another pink slithery fish inside her mouth. "Ffphoofid hee mfakes fnaroe…"

After mouthing "stupid three mistakes in a row", Merle stopped abruptly, eyes intent. Her left ear twitched irritably. Her eyebrows met, and her jaw clenched a bit. Her eyes moved from left to right, glinting in the morning sunshine. But there was nothing unusual around her; she did not hear anything strange; the stream was merrily burbling about the rocks along its slender path. The birds were twittering and singing complex harmonies as if their tiny hearts were breaking. Insects of all shapes and sizes made their own myriad of noises, but there was nothing out of the ordinary around her.

All of a sudden, she spewed out the salmon in her mouth—sixteen was the last count—and sent them spraying in all directions, wriggling and jumping and all being so ridiculously silly.

Merle made a face and stuck out her tongue. "It tickles." She said off-handedly by way of explanation.

Just then, Merle's sharp sense of hearing caught movement somewhere… upwards. She could hear a distant thumping sound, a whoosh and a soft flutter at the same time. There was a slight change in the wind's flow that had alerted her. It was too large to be a bird, she thought to herself, but the sound was made by only one creature, ruling out a possible flying flock of birds. Searching the heavens with her expressive cat eyes, Merle caught sight of a creature she _despised_ the most.

"Angel," she hissed viciously.

Quickly grabbing the salmons and stuffing them back in her mouth, she scooped up the rest of her catch in her arms and dashed to where the angel was headed—home.

------------------------------------------------

Hitomi sat upright hastily, feeling all her hair prickling up under the scrutiny of those azure feline eyes. The one in front of her—the silver-haired one—viewed her from her crouched position. Slowly, she stretched out with a lazy yawn, showing her an impressive set of sharp white fangs. Then she straightened herself, standing at full height. Hitomi looked at her full on the face, a hushed gasp escaping from her lips.

She was quite tall, much taller than Hitomi was. And slim; in fact, a little bit too skinny for her height and stature. But that slimness only highlighted her felinity. Smooth, short silver-and-black fur covered the entirety of her surprisingly curvaceous body. Like the pink-haired cat she met earlier, this silver one was a feline through and through—all paws and claws, and a swishy long tail. Her brooding but slightly bored eyes seem to hypnotize her; as if they were peering deep into her whole being. She had an air of mystery about her, an aura so intense, Hitomi couldn't discern if it was dark or light.

Without taking her eyes off the fair-haired creature staring back at her, she purred politely. "How is it with you, big sister?"

Hitomi blinked, the cold, almost emotionless voice bringing her back to earth. Then, as if she was just starting to feel herself for the first time, Hitomi felt the sweeping, damp sensations from a yet-unfamiliar part of her body—which was aching badly, by the way.

Hitomi felt the dampness stop for a while. "One is content. But the man-creature our little sister brought is bleeding again." She heard a dry voice say.

Hitomi glanced sharply behind her. There was another one—gold of hair, this time—crouched beside the grass-laden bed she sat upon, and _licking_ her.

Licking her _wings_.

The blond girl stood suddenly. "W-who are you? _What_ are you? What are you _doing_?!" she asked, talking very fast.

The two did not answer. They did not even move.

Hitomi looked around, fear and indecision temporarily overpowering the fresh outflow of blood and pain building up within her back. "Where did you take me? What are you going to do with me?" she demanded.

At last, the gold one stood up, ruby eyes solemn. "Be calm, young creature. _You_ must not strain _yourself_ or _your_ wound will not heal."

Hitomi looked at her, then snapped back at the silver one standing casually on the other direction, then back at the gold one. Save for the differences in their hair and eye color, the two were very much identical.

Hitomi was breathing heavily, now that she could feel the sharp pangs from her back. She had so many questions to ask, so many questions whirling inside her head, but only one took voice. "What's going on? I-I don't understand…" she asked weakly, helplessly.

The pair of azure eyes softened a bit, almost for a second. "The wings are growing feathers," said the silver one.

"B-but I…" Hitomi faltered, confused. "I don't understand."

The gold one prompted her to sit down, placing a warm and surprisingly gentle furry paw on her shoulder. "_Your_ wings are still unfinished. They are trying to complete themselves."

Just then, Merle came busting through the closed back door, sending the fish she had been carrying in her arms all around the sandy floor. "Mmffummh!" she squealed excitably.

"What is it, little sister?" the gold one asked with interest.

Merle jumped to her and waved her arms around exaggeratedly, panting heavily. "Mm mfhmmh mmhympfhmm!" she mumbled.

The silver cat's ears twitched. "What?"

Merle rolled her eyes upwards. "Mm fhed, mm mfhmmh mmhympfhmm!" she repeated exasperatedly.

The twins looked at each other silently.

"Mm hmm phfmyhmph?" the silver one asked.

"Hmfhypm mfkmh." Came the gold's reply.

"Mmm. Mm fhymph mmhmm numph!"

Merle spat the fish out. "Will you two cut it out?" said demanded crossly, stomping her foot.

The twins nodded innocently between muffled snickers. "What is it, little sister?" the gold one asked her again.

Merle took a deep breath. "I saw an _angel_ coming in this direction."

"A-angel?" Hitomi managed to squeal finally, her face twisted in pain.

"That's right. And if I'm to guess, he's looking for Hitomi." Merle's eyes flashed at her dangerously. "He's the _boy_ who was with _you_."

------------------------------------------------

Loud clicking noises echoed down the empty halls as hurried footsteps took one lonely angel towards his destination.

He opened the antique carved wooden door with a slight creak in its hinges. "Thou called for me, Ancient?" the eternal messenger said.

The silver-haired Ancient tore his wrinkle-lined eyes away from the heavy volume he was reading and peered at him through the rim of his glasses. "I called for Ontrose. Where art thy brother?" he asked mildly.

The younger one could not answer. He could not weigh that of which is more important to him: his friend, or his master. He knew that should he tell the truth, it would be the end of Ontrose. But if he lied to the Ancient, he knew that his conscience would eat at him until it finally consumes his soul.

During the course of his silence, the Elder looked at him pointedly, as if realizing that he was hiding something from him. "Kamion, where art thy brother?"

The blond messenger, loyal and dependable in his duties, lifted his face, full of awe. It was the first time the Ancient Angel had spoken his name. For angels, names are private, most important possessions, only spoken and used among the closest of bonds. And for the highest authority in Gaea to speak the name of a lowly messenger like himself, it could only mean one thing.

Direct subordination.

Kamion stood up straight. "He left a few hours ago, my Lord." He replied grandly.

The Elder nodded briefly and returned to his readings, content with his answer. He turned the crackling pages of yellowed parchment illuminated by tall, slender candles. "Didst Ontrose leave to save his charge again?" he asked pleasantly.

"Nay, my Lord Ancient," Kamion replied dubiously, his heart beating very fast. "He went on a far more perilous mission."

"Oh?" the Ancient replied, not bothering to look up. "What mission?"

Kamion was silent for a moment. He gulped hard. "To see the prince,"

The Elder stopped and looked at him sharply. "What didst thou say?" he asked crisply.

Kamion bowed his head. "To see the prince." He muttered, doubt slowly creeping upon him. "He hath been meaning to ask the prince about his charge, Hito—"

He was cut short by the Ancient's fist as it slammed loudly on the table, rattling the candles and the high piles of books and documents. "Ontrose!!!" he roared. "Thou wish to _defy_ me?" he turned to his messenger with an angry gaze.

Kamion could feel himself melting from that gaze. "F-forgive me, Master, I could not s-stop him. I… I should have told thee sooner—"

"Never mind that," he snapped. "Deploy the others. Chase that headstrong Ontrose down!" he strode in front of the quaking Kamion. "He _must not_ have word with He Who is Bounded in Chains!!!" he said darkly. He sped past him and headed towards the door.

"My Lord!" Kamion called nervously after him. "What if… what if thy son Ontrose resists thy orders?"

The Immortal Angel stopped. He turned around to face him, his eyes like slits on his grim face. "If need be, Kamion, _kill_ him. _Kill him_." He instructed before turning swiftly to leave the library.

Kamion, the flaxen-haired messenger, stood frozen and ashen-faced, finally realizing the consequences of what he had just done.

------------------------------------------------

Hitomi fell down on the bed and crunched herself into a tight ball. "Oooh…" she groaned, bullets of sweat forming on her forehead.

Merle's face shifted from anger to that of worry and curiosity. "What's with _her_?" she asked irritably. She jumped skillfully beside Hitomi's bed and put a furry hand over her belly. "Constipated?"

"No!" Hitomi snapped defensively, then returned to moaning again.

"_She_ is growing wings." The silver one supplied, then turned to her gold twin. "One worries that _she_ will soon lose too much blood."

The golden-haired cat looked back at her sister, then to Hitomi. "One rather suspected you might." She agreed. "But one also thinks so."

"One also suspected you might. What should one do?"

"One cannot do anything but to await its end."

"Then we shall care for _her_?"

The gold one's ruby eyes grew thoughtful. "It cannot be helped." She answered clinically.

Merle cocked her head in disbelief. "_What_?! Naria, Eriya, there's an _angel_ out there and you're _obsessing_ about this… this _woman_!" she sighed, annoyed. "Don't you even care?!" she yelled, her voice reaching a good octave or two.

Naria, her deep azure eyes calculating, turned to her sister. "Merle, it is not our place to accuse _her_ of anything." She said coldly. "_She_ couldn't have called for that angel. _She_ was asleep all this time."

Merle's lower lip trembled. "Yes, but… but that _angel_!" she pouted and pointed out the window.

"There are _always_ angels out there, dear sister. But like us, they also have their purpose." The ruby-eyed Eriya supplied. "Besides, it was you who even brought one home." She looked pointedly at Hitomi, who looked back, puzzled.

Hitomi bit her lip, then shook her head. "I… I'm n-not an angel," she objected.

Naria walked towards Merle and Hitomi. "Let us get _her_ outside. One should wash _her_ wounds using water from the pool."

Eriya motioned to her sister. "One must warn you, sister. _She_ will not be most welcomed by the clan."

Naria somberly took hold of Hitomi's arm and swung it across her shoulder while Merle took the other. "One knows of it already."

They led Hitomi outside the hut, getting strange and angry looks from the other cat-people around them. They walked in silence, until they finally reached the small sparkling watering hole quite a ways from the concealed village.

And from the reflection on the water's surface, Hitomi saw for the first time what it was that was budding from her back. The wings, now not so tiny anymore, adorned her back like a crown adorns a queen's head. The feathers were sparse, and parts of the bone are not finished yet, but she was still impressed all the same about this strange thing which came from her body.

"Naria, Eriya! Look!" Merle choked, aghast as she pointed to the sky.

All of them looked up, and saw the angels blot out the sun as they fly above the village towards their unknown destination.

_There are so many of them._

------------------------------------------------

"_How could we escape them? There are so many of them!" Hitomi shouted into his ear._

"_We can make it." He said, looking over his shoulder while they hid behind the thick trees._

_Hitomi whined. "But how could—"_

"_We can make it!" he repeated confidently, turning to face her. Hitomi's innocent face was clearly lined with worry. Her fresh green eyes were devoid of the shine and sparkle they had. Gently he took her hands into his, clasping them tightly._

"_Remember, Hitomi, as long as I am here with you, everything will be alright."_

_Hitomi nodded dubiously._

_He clasped her hands tighter. "As long as I am still breathing, Hitomi, I will protect you." He solemnly said, his wine eyes burning aflame. "_I will protect you._"_

_Hitomi nodded once more, and threw her arms around him. They held each other tightly, both of their faces grim as they watched the sky turned dark._

_It was only the two of them, two lovers against the oncoming army of angels that were so many, they blotted out the sun in the heavens._

------------------------------------------------

Hitomi bent to the ground as she felt a spasm in her back. "_Ah_!!!" she spat.

Merle winced and glanced away, covering her ears with her paws. "Oh _God_, it's happening again, it's happening again, it's happening again…" she mumbled.

Naria and Eriya watched curiously as a section of Hitomi's wings sprouted from her back, causing her to scream, and attach itself to the whole structure. Then a few more feathers grew as if on fast forward until they were as big as the other feathers were.

All the while, the twins were in awe. They looked at each other. "It is a piece," Eriya said in revelation.

"Yes," her sister nodded in wonder. "_She_ gains a piece of _her_ wings when _she_ remembers a memory."

------------------------------------------------

Ontrose sped through the horizon, racing against the setting of the sun. He had been circling above the thick forest for hours, but he cannot seem to find the exact location of the cave where the prince was bound. "Where is it?" he asked himself.

He had questions that had been nagging at him for quite some time now. That girl—Hitomi—there's something very peculiar about her. How is it that she can see him? And from the way the Master asked about it… does she have wings of her own?

The Master. Ontrose winced inwardly as he remembered the great offense he had done. It is the greatest blasphemy that anyone—especially an angel—would disobey his orders. But there was far too much mystery and secrets for Ontrose's comfort; he felt as if the Ancient Angel himself is keeping something from him and his brothers. He felt that he _needed_ to know.

_There is no turning back now._

Finally, he spotted a small hidden grotto concealed by the towering mountains surrounding an enclave in the middle of the forest. He felt a strong power emanating from inside that grotto, and an overwhelming presence. _That _has _to be it._ He said to himself.

But before he could spiral downwards, Ontrose looked back in horror to see the whole of heaven thunder with a thousand and one pair of wings beating in unison in a single beat towards him.

_What hast thou _done_, Kamion?_

The sun was setting, staining the whole world a ruddy red.

------------------------------------------------

Hitomi sat on the grassy earth, hugging her knees like a child. She was sitting by the pond, watching her reflection in the water get messed up as the steady rain of white feathers continued to fall from the sky. It had been quite a long time since this morning, when she gained another piece of her wings and the angels covered the sky. It was nighttime now, and stars have replaced the angels that had covered the heavens.

Eriya came out the open doorway holding a large grilled salmon. Merle was cooking a few more on an open flame not far away, and Naria had gone away to the clan leader for the rest of the afternoon. "Here, young one, eat. Eat, and be well." She offered.

Hitomi took the fish, but had no appetite. "Thank you, Eriya. Thank you for everything."

"_You_ are welcome." She beamed. Eriya frowned when she saw Hitomi's glum expression and sat down beside her. "One suspects that _you_ are not feeling well." She commented.

Hitomi sighed, twirling the stick of fish in her fingers. "I just don't feel like eating things that came out of Merle's mouth." She said lightly.

Eriya chuckled and a pebble came flying through the air hitting Hitomi smack right on the head. "It's not like I can't _hear_ you, you know!" Merle shouted from where she crouched, grilling fish.

Hitomi patted her head. "_Kittens_," she whispered with a roll of her eyes. "How annoying."

"Don't call me _that_!" Merle crossly snapped standing up and stomping her foot with a dull thud.

"Actually, she hates it most when one and one's sister calls her _Kitty-poo_." The golden-haired cat whispered back.

"_Eriya_!!!" Merle complained shrilly while Hitomi and Eriya laughed heartily.

Hitomi let out a big breath and stared blankly at the stars.

"_You're_ thinking about _him_, aren't _you_?"

Hitomi turned her face. "Huh? Him? Him who?"

Eriya smiled faintly and scooted a little bit closer to her. "The boy who was with _you_."

Hitomi blinked in surprise, then stared at her ruddy reflection on the water. "I'm not sure if 'thinking' would be a proper term," she smiled a bit sadly. "I hardly even know him."

"Oh, _you_ know him, little one." Eriya assured her. "_You_ just misplaced his memory, that's all."

"Misplaced." Hitomi scoffed. "If only that was just it. I feel as if I'll never get to find him back, you know?" she said, looking at those penetrating ruby eyes. "It's like… every second, every _moment_ spent, he's slipping farther and farther away… away from me." She said, looking at her palms.

The night breeze blew in and stirred the crackling flame from where Merle was cooking. The night was very still, except for the insects that made their noises without a care in the world.

Hitomi rested her chin on her arms. "I've always dreamt of him… I've always dreamt of meeting him, seeing him… just… just being with him." She said softly. "I've always dreamt of him… but I could not see his face… I just could not." She smiled sadly. "Sometimes I think… perhaps… perhaps these dreams are… maybe…" she trailed off, staring high up the heavens, as if searching the stars for an answer.

"Don't, Hitomi."

"Huh?"

Eriya, her face full of emotion, cat eyes soft with compassion, lifted one clawed finger and brushed an offending lock of hair from Hitomi's face. "Don't stop believing."

Hitomi stared at her, taking in her words, feeling herself open up under the comfortable gaze of those eyes.

"Hitomi." A voice said from somewhere among the trees in the distance.

Hitomi looked at the direction sharply just as Eriya was standing up. "Who's there?" Hitomi asked. Merle's ear twitched and she looked in their direction.

There was no answer, not even a quiver from the bushes.

"One suggests that you show yourself," Eriya snarled lowly.

Merle came bounding up to the two of them just as Hitomi was about to stand up herself. "What's going on? I heard Hitomi's voice." She asked curiously.

"There's someone out there!" Hitomi pointed to a shadowed portion of the forest.

They waited.

Until finally, from the thick trees in the forest, out came the raven-haired Ontrose, severely wounded and limping badly, his entire body and wings covered in majestic blood.

"_Angel_?" Hitomi gasped in surprise. "What are you doing… what _happened_ to you?" she asked, running to meet him but Eriya caught her arm.

"No, young one!" she warned. "One suggests that you introduce yourself." She growled angrily at the intruder.

Ontrose tried to steady himself. "Mine name is Ontrose. Commander of the army of angels and appointed protector of Hitomi." He said with some difficulty.

"What do you want with us?" she hissed.

"I mean no harm, noble beasts," he pleaded. "I just need a word with the girl in thy midst. Surely thou can see that I am not fit to battle with thee and thy clan, if that was mine intention."

Eriya chewed on that quite a bit, trying to find a loophole, perhaps. "Alright," she conceded. "But one cautions you that no harm should be done upon this young one. Should you do so, one will see to it that you will _die_ in one's own paws." She warned darkly.

Ontrose smiled weakly. "Do not worry… I am her protector; it is my duty to make sure she is all well."

Eriya sniffed and turned around, but Merle was frozen in her place, her face as hard as stone. Merle took a few steps forward.

Eriya turned and caught her sister. "No, little sister, we must not interfere."

Merle's eyes flashed dangerously, her pink hair billowing in the breeze. "You. It was you, wasn't it?" she asked.

Ontrose and Hitomi both looked at her quizzically.

"You were the one I saw flying above the forest this morning."

Hitomi sharply turned to face him.

Ontrose thought for a while, then nodded briefly.

Merle ground her teeth hard, her jaw clenching and unclenching in apparent anger. She took a step, but Eriya's strong arm was firm. "Merle, no!" her sister snapped.

Merle stopped, looked at her sister then turned to look at Ontrose. "Don't you _dare_ hurt Hitomi." She said simply, then stormed away inside the hut.

Eriya looked at Hitomi, nodded at her briefly, then followed her hot-tempered sister shortly.

Hitomi went beside Ontrose and tried to coax him to sit. "What happened to you? Who did this to you, angel?" she asked.

"No no, I am fine, Hitomi," Ontrose said, refusing Hitomi's offer to sit. "I am in a bit of hurry."

Hitomi stared at him with wonder and worry.

"Hitomi, I need you to go to a cave not far away from here. It's really important that you should see him."

"Him? Him who?" she asked once more. _Really_, if angels and cat-people both should just tell her the names of who they're talking about, then she wouldn't have to ask the same questions over and over again.

"The prince of all the angels." He replied with difficulty.

Hitomi's eyes widened. There was something vaguely familiar to her when she heard him say that. But she could not seem to remember anything.

"You _must_ talk with him. Ask him everything."

"Everything?" Hitomi asked.

"_Everything_." Ontrose replied, his face very grave. "Everything you wish to know about. Why you can't remember your past. Why you feel as if something is calling to you. Why you have suddenly grown wings. Why you were thrown out of Paradise."

Hitomi's eyes widened even more. "I was thrown out of Paradise?" she whispered.

Ontrose nodded. He put a shaking hand on Hitomi's shoulder with difficulty. "Hitomi… I want you to hurry… I want you to find him before its too late!"

"Too late? What do you mean?" Hitomi asked, her heart beating wildly, though she was quite sure that she knew.

"I sought the prince out myself… but the angels caught me, Hitomi… and now they're after _you_."

Hitomi stepped backwards in shock at what he just said.

"You _must_ find him before it's too late, Hitomi… or else they'll kill you… they'll _kill_ you!!!"

_Tsuzuku_

* * *

"_Remember, Hitomi, as long as I am here with you, everything will be alright."_

_Hitomi nodded dubiously._

_He clasped her hands tighter. "As long as I am still breathing, Hitomi, I will protect you." He solemnly said, his wine eyes burning aflame. "_I will protect you._"

* * *

_

Footnotes:

I would like to apologize for any possible discrepancies about the gold and silver twins. Actually, I don't _know_ who among the two of them is Naria and Eriya, I just assumed that the silver one is Naria, the younger, and the gold one is Eriya, the older. If any of you have information about this matter, could you please let me know? I would greatly appreciate it.

_Kamion_, his name and description, was taken from _David and Leigh Eddings' Polgara the Sorceress_. And wish I might, I could never own them. Sigh, sigh.

Sadame X  
Defy your destiny.


	7. The Paradise that was Ours

_Ojamashimasu!_

_Did you guys like the last chapter? I sure hope you did. It was more-or-less a compensation for my _humongous_ writer's block during the last few months. But do not fear: because for those of you who waited (if there _are_ people waiting, that is), God-willing, I _will_ finish the story. That is why even though I have lots of new ideas just clamoring to escape through my system, I've patiently set them on paper instead of posting them, lest I abandon this story. So, if you guys are willing to bear with me, we will get to see what happens with our two star-crossed lovers. Now doesn't that make you happy? No? (Sheepish smile)_

_Thank you, _**Tramie­**_-san! I'm _really_ glad that you like my story (toothy smile). Yes, Ontrose is quite nice, isn't he? But don't be too harsh on Kamion... being ignored all his life and then finally getting recognition? Surely he'd be tempted as well. (Slight smile) And now that Hitomi's past is slowly revealing itself, we can have _loads_ more fun (evil cackle while shuffling hands)..._

_Thank you, _**Macky**_-san! Here is the next chapter (smiles)!_

_I'm sorry, _**Arashi**_-chan, but that was just a dream. I wanted to go deeper into Hitomi's subconscious interpretation of what Merle said, so I'll admit that it was a wee bit extreme (even for a dream). But, saying that you got scared, I guess I got what I wanted, ne? But no more gut-fondling handsome swordsmen next time, I promise (Grins)._

_Yatta! _**Wink**_-sama visited and reviewed! And no verb tense shifts? Make that a double yatta! (Grins) I'm sorry about the confusion with the twins' way of speaking, though. I kind of thought that it would be nice and sort of kittenish if they would talk amongst themselves using another version of "third person". Hehe. Sorry for the confusion! And about Merle's speech... it will all be cleared up in this chapter. Thanks for reading!_

_Hitomi is one strong girl, isn't she, _**LilDevi**_-san? Gotta love her (grins). Since this is the sixth chapter, we are basically (according to my outline) about halfway through the story, and so the juicier parts are yet to come. (Evil cackle) I absolutely _love_ doing that. Gets me weird looks everytime. Thanks for reading!_

_Hello, _**Petite Carnatla**_-chan! (Toothy smile with wave) _So _happy you loved it! Hitomi and Van were banished because they fell in love with each other, and that is, well... kind of forbidden. But you know... I have this creeping suspicion (and I take it that I'm right, being in good terms with the writer and all hehehe) that that's not the only reason. Their sin goes somewhat deeper..._

_Yes, I wanted that little twist right at the start. I originally intended for her to be with Yukari, and her name to be Yukiko, but what better way to incorporate Allen than bringing Hitomi closer to Millerna?_

_(Thinks back) You know, sometimes I feel sorry for Hitomi. I've abused her too much in my story (grins). Growing up only to find out that the one you secretly long for has the hots for someone else. But hell... it's his loss. Boo for him, eh? (Grins) But if I was Hitomi, I wouldn't have hit Allen with an egg... a sizeable rock would do just fine. Or a large, hollow coconut to match his head. Or a bucket full of snails..._

_Ah, yes... the confusion in her life begins. As well as the turmoil that stirs upon her unshielded heart... (Evil cackle)..._

_Yes, that's Merle! Can't hate that bubbly martyr. She'll be there to help ease Hitomi's pain. Or will she? Guess we'll have to find out..._

**Penny**_-san thank you for reading! Here's more (a lot more in fact, this chapter was _way_ longer than I anticipated hehehe)!_

_Aaaaaaand there you have it! The next chapter arrives! (Toothy smile) Enjoy!_

_Sadame-chan  
__141204_

* * *

_Chapter Six:  
__The Paradise That was Ours_

Hitomi took a few steps back in surprise as to what she had just heard.

"You _must_ find him before it's too late, Hitomi… or else they'll kill you… they'll _kill_ you!"

"W-what do you mean _kill me_?" Hitomi asked after regaining her composure.

Faint rustling could be heard from somewhere among the trees. "The other… _angels_… are coming after you, Hitomi." Ontrose explained, glancing behind him. "They do not want you to reach your destination, Gaea." He smiled slightly at her. "It seemeth to me that thou hast been ever as hard-headed as to bring nothing but trouble, Hitomi," he commented, lapsing into archaic speech.

Not finding the words to say for a while, Hitomi then succeeded in asking the question Man has been asking the heavens for as long as eternity. This time, however, she had every right and reason to ask it. "Why me?"

Ontrose winced and knelt down on one knee, Hitomi rushing forward to help him stand up. The rustling among the tress grew more pronounced, and alarmingly closer. Ontrose stole a barely noticeable glance behind him and spoke in a hushed voice not even close to a whisper. "I do not know myself, Hitomi. That was why I took a risk of finding it out for myself," his face twisted in agony for a while, then he smiled a little. "But, alas…"

"But why you, too?" Hitomi blurted, close to tears. "This is… this is too severe! Too much… they've done too much…"

Hitomi bowed her head and quietly sobbed beside her sworn protector. Ontrose didn't say anything, but stretched one hand and placed it tenderly on Hitomi's head. It was the only thing he can do; an act one angel can do out of sheer kindness and pity.

Hurried footsteps and faint creaking of metal armor echoed down the deep impenetrable forest. Ontrose wheeled around, azure eyes intent like a hunting falcon, and shielded Hitomi's body with his, arms ready at his side. "Hitomi, run!" he tersely commanded.

"What?"

"Run, Hitomi! Hide, go away from here!"

Hitomi looked confused. "What do you… what… what about you?"

Ontrose just smiled at her knowingly.

Hitomi's grassy eyes widened. "You're not… no, Ontrose! You're wounded, you can't fight them back!" she objected, walking towards him.

He stopped her with his free arm and grinned. "What art thou saying? That thy protector and champion art so easily defeated?" he straightened, standing impressively at his full height. "Fie! For shame!" he candidly chided her.

Hitomi shook her head and grabbed his arm tightly. "Ontrose, I'm _serious_! You're too wounded! Come with me to the village! I'm sure the cat-people would understand. We'll nurse you back to health!"

Ontrose looked at her with pure tenderness. "No, Hitomi, I cannot… I _must_ not. I cannot risk the lives of all these innocent creatures, and you as well." He stopped for a while. "Forgive me," he muttered, then gave off a long, low whistle.

The footsteps and rustling grew more frantic. There was no more use in hiding now: they were being hunted.

Eriya and Merle came running with catlike speed after hearing the whistle and was beside Hitomi in a very short time. "What is this about?" Eriya breathed suspiciously.

"Forgive me, noble sister," Ontrose apologized. "But I must ask you to take Hitomi to safety." He glanced back towards the fast approaching noise. "My… brothers have found me."

Hitomi tried to speak, but Eriya got ahead of her. "And now you have revealed _her_ hiding spot and one's village as well," she snarled angrily.

"It can be not, noble sister," he turned to them gravely. "For I shall distract them."

Hitomi pushed herself forward. "Ontrose, _please_… _listen_ to me," she pleaded. "I don't want you… I don't want _anyone_… to suffer anymore because of me. Come with us, we can hide you there, it'll be safe." She turned to the wise Eriya with hopeful eyes and begged. "Won't it, Eriya? It'll be alright, won't it? He can stay with us, can't he?"

Merle's jaw clenched and unclenched, her eyes filled with suppressed hate. Her older sister Eriya, golden in the moonlight, stood still as ever, stern-faced with her calculating eyes never leaving Ontrose's grave features. "One wants to know how far you will lead them away from here." She asked lowly.

"As far as possible." He assured her. "I shall take them flying over the northern seas."

"And how long will it take you to reach the other side of the mountain?"

Ontrose blinked. "That's about forty leagues from here," he considered it. "A little over a minute."

"That is good."

Ontrose nodded.

Hitomi looked back and forth from Eriya to Ontrose in disbelief. She just couldn't believe her ears! "_What_!" she exclaimed incredulously. "So you're just going to sacrifice him? Leave him out there to _die_, is that it?"

Eriya looked down on her. "It was his choice."

"Well it was an awfully _bad_ one!"

"Hitomi," Ontrose wheedled gently. "It was my own decision."

"But there are other options!" she snapped angrily at him.

"Look, Hitomi… I am your _guardian_. I _need_ to protect you. That was what I was created for."

Ontrose's last words struck her like a melodious chord, and something deep in the recesses of her heart made her soften a bit. Her heart melted; and she had almost loved Ontrose in that brief instant. Hitomi had noticed that herself, but she stubbornly refused it. "Not as long as _I'm_ the one you're protecting," she declared hotly, crossing her arms in defiance.

Ebony-haired Ontrose shook his head and let out a long-suffering sigh. "Now I know why your last protector was a bad-tempered fellow."

"Alright, that's enough!" Merle snapped loudly, mildly surprising the lot of them. "Hitomi, no arguing. You're coming with us."

The said honey-haired female blinked indignantly. "You can't boss _me_ around!"

"Oh yeah? Watch me." Merle quipped. She turned to Eriya and pointed towards the village. "You, tell the others to put out all the lights, and make sure every single bonfire is extinguished." She turned to the slightly wide-eyed Ontrose. "You, better get to flapping." Finally she turned to the gaping Hitomi. "You, close your mouth and follow me."

Hitomi quickly clamped her mouth shut and motioned to speak, but Merle cut her off before she could start. "_Quietly_!"

Hitomi dropped her jaw, her face too flustered to mumble anything coherent.

Eriya smiled and patted her shoulder. "Do not underestimate the 'Way of the Merle', my friend." She chuckled and turned to face Ontrose, startling him when she bowed deeply in salute; an act of respect their race almost never gives to humans or angels otherwise. "One is grateful. For the sacrifice that you will do."

Ontrose blinked for a while, astonished. He bowed in his response. "It would be a great honor, noble sister."

Eriya smiled briefly and disappeared into the village hidden in shadows.

Ontrose turned to his stubborn charge. "Now go, my brothers approach fast."

Hitomi pouted childishly, tears peeking at him under those soulful verdant eyes.

He smiled an honest, pure smile. "It was an honor and a privilege serving you, Hitomi." He took her hand and gently kissed it, before turning to Merle who was still scowling at him. "Please take care of her, gentle sister," he smiled.

A slow blush crept up her neck. Merle's eyes tightened, the corners of her pursed little lips twitching. Then, in a voice not more audible than a whisper, she muttered a quick "Thank you," before running into the distance.

Hitomi's chest was beating rapidly, her eyes a silent plea to him that he should stay; that even for a moment, even for just a single time, he should forget that he is her guardian and come with her to the village. "Even if I stay here and cry, you're not going to change your mind, aren't you?"

He smiled. "I'd rather leave seeing you smile, Hitomi."

A silent teardrop fell, cascading gently on her cheeks; a solitary testament to the power holding the two entities in this event in destiny. "Then I'll just say goodbye… goodbye and thank you," she murmured sadly.

His eyes were warm, like ice on fire. "I could have wished for a much better meeting, but I am grateful nevertheless." He grandly unfolded his bloodstained wings, drew his battle-worn sword and thrust himself willingly to the dark heavens.

His wings caused the air around them to eddy and swirl, tousling Hitomi's thick sunshine hair. She craned her neck upwards, catching a glimpse of him until the last possible moment. "Will I… will I ever see you again?" she half-shouted, uncertain and afraid of his answer.

There was silence. Ontrose smiled. "I would want to see you again, Hitomi, if it was destined for me to do so."

Hitomi smiled a bit sadly, masking an incredibly unbearable pain inside her heart. Tear after tear began to fall gently, being as meaningless prayers as they dropped to the ground without a sound, or only to dissipate in the wind forgotten, like an aching melody that too soon fades out into nothing. She pursed her lips in feigned strength, deluding not only Ontrose but herself of what she really felt in that horrible moment. And then, with a final sweep of her verdant eyes to firmly fix the image of her protector in her mind, she regretfully turned and stole away to the darkness of the night.

"Be well, Hitomi…" Ontrose murmured softly, before tearing his wings with thrusts so powerful he was a blur on the thieving horizon.

-

He was angered. No one could have measured the heat that boiled his blood this very moment.

He was shamed. No one could possibly imagine the dishonor dealt to him with that single action.

He was frightened. No one would have thought of it, but he felt fear and uncertainty deep down to the very center of his being.

He was all of these. But above all, he was frantic. Everyone in the citadel was dumbfounded seeing the Ancient Angel without his aura of pristine holiness. His brisk manner was new to everyone's eyes that it alerted them of something unseen and somewhat powerful coming from a distance. They knew—though they don't know how—that something had gone _definitely_ wrong. And knowing that his subjects knew the troubles that continually pestered his mind, made him even more frantic.

For it angered, shamed, and frightened him even more.

But if anything, he made no show of it. He made sure that whatever it was that the angels in Gaea saw in him, it wasn't those emotions that bubbled from the pit of his stomach. He took special pains in erasing the evidence in his face, in his eyes.

For the Ancient Angel, what his most trusted and indispensable son had done to him was truly unforgivable, irrevocable. Ontrose was the one angel he valued in his entire legion of angels, and his rebellion had deeply scarred his heart. Did he truly wish to anger him so? He would like to think that Ontrose did not. The Elder had had fears that one day too soon this might happen, like it had years ago. It was that same curiosity which had befallen his beloved Van, and now, years after, the same fate he had struggled to evade had finally caught up to his Ontrose as well.

-

"_Father, are angels and humans the same?"_

_The silver-haired Elder lifted his face and smiled at his son lying down beside him. "No, my dear child. Humans and angels are very much different."_

_The raven-haired young one cocked his head in thought, his sparkling blood wine eyes lost away. "Really? How much different?"_

_He took off his reading glasses and passed a hand over his tired eyes. "Well, for one thing, humans don't have wings. They cannot fly like angels and birds."_

_The boy frowned slightly. "Can't humans grow their own wings?"_

"_No, my son. Humans and angels have different purposes, and their purpose in life doesn't require them to have wings like we do."_

_The boy looked at his father with an alarmed look. "Then... does that mean they can't go up in Gaea?"_

_He smiled at him. "They can, my son. But only after they die. If they have served their purpose in life well, then they shall be rewarded by entering paradise in the afterlife."_

_The little boy, relieved, smiled and settled back down. "That's good." There was a pause. "But I guess... it'll take an _awfully_ long time before they get here,"_

_The Elder chuckled softly in amusement. "That may not be so, dear child, for mortals have shorter and more fragile lives than angels."_

_Once again, the little boy frowned in thought. "But why is that, Father?" he inquired. "How much more are they different from us? And how come we were created differently from them?"_

"_One at a time, dear boy, one at a time!" He laughed, narrowing his eyes in thought. "We have many differences from mortals, my son. Humans are physically and mentally weaker than angels. And more foolish than us. But I do not know why we are different from them. It just is. It's just that, they have their purpose, and we have ours. And our purpose is to help them, to guide them in their lives, so that they could each find their own purposes." He looked at his son. "That is why we were created, Van. To guide and protect them."_

_The little angel sat up from where he was lying on the grass. "Then, if we were created to protect them," he began slowly, his tiny face very serious. "Then that would make them more powerful than us, won't it?"_

"_Indeed? How so?"_

"_Well," Van thought carefully, his brows knit deep in concentration. "I think, that it means that they are our masters, since _we_ are the ones serving to protect _them_. I mean… even though we could fly and be strong and use swords and live forever and ever, the thing is, we were only created to _serve_ them, or to protect them, because they are weaker than us, and so that is why we are strong and we can fly and live forever and have other powers, to protect them. _Only_ for them." He stopped, finally noticing that the Elder was listening very carefully to what he was saying, and he actually blushed. "Well… at least that's what _I_ think, anyway."_

_The Ancient Angel laughed a merry little laugh and ruffled the already-unruly dark hair of the little boy he loved so much. "It just might be as you have said it, Van, my boy." He said grandly. "But prithee, why the sudden interest in mortals?"_

_Van looked away, his chubby little fingers making intricate drawings on the grassy earth. He was gazing down on the world below, ruby eyes fixed on a certain sandy-haired little girl frolicking with her friends along the foot of the mountain, his eyes filled with wonder and innocence only a child could ever have. "They just... _fascinate_ me," he replied._

_His Father, the Elder, Ancient Angel, immortal and unassailable, was above all, a very perceptive fellow, and his lips grew into a hidden little smile as he realized just how much his little boy had grown up in the past few years. "Well, then, perhaps in a few years more, you shall have a mortal life to protect."_

_Van bolted upright, his face full of transparent eagerness. "Really, Father?"_

"_Yes. I think that you are man enough to take some responsibility."_

_His eyes danced with pure excitement, a swirl of cinnamon and chocolate. "You promise?"_

_He smiled. "I promise."_

-

The Ancient Angel narrowed his eyes as if trying to make the thoughts go away. His pace quickened; his purpose more definite as he headed towards the observatory, the highest firmament in Gaea. He didn't want to destroy Ontrose liked he did to his beloved Van; he had suffered too much already in losing a son, and he didn't _dare_ repeat it again. He couldn't take it to his heart to give Ontrose a fate that was much worse than death. He was going to save him. This time, his choice would be different. This time, he would make things right.

He was going to change the course of the stars.

-

The sisters Naria and Eriya stood by the open window of their neat little hut— which looked more like a den—eating the leftover grilled salmon Merle had cooked the night before. They were eating slowly and quietly, just enjoying each other's company in their peculiar little family that they all shared.

Merle came stomping by the door, ridding her amber fur of the dust and mud that had collected from her hard work out hunting earlier that morning (to which she had no luck) and entered unceremoniously inside the den. Her stomach—which was growling louder than any other wild cat in the whole village—had commanded her to feed it, and so she dutifully obeyed, sniffing the air with her sweaty nose. "What's for breakfast?"

Eriya tossed her a stick of grilled fish, which Merle caught easily. "You had to ask?" she teased.

She shrugged and bit into her item hungrily, sat at the rough stone table and looked around. "Where's Hitomi?"

"One hasn't seen _her_ all morning," Naria agreed.

"_She_ is doing what _she_'s been doing for the longest time," Eriya said softly.

"Whining?" Merle piped in.

"No, _sleeping_." Eriya corrected, but couldn't hide the smile playing on her lips.

"Ah, my mistake." Merle grinned. "But you have to give my answer partial credits."

"I _heard_ that!" Hitomi snapped, hair disheveled and eyes tired and still half-lit as she shambled her way to the table with a grouchy expression.

Merle scooted beside her in a moment. "The greenness of your eyes complements the sourness of your face." She said chirpily.

Hitomi buried her head in her hands. "Do you always pester everyone else this early in the morning?"

"No, not usually." She chirped. "But you're an exception. Congratulations!"

"Go to _hell_." Hitomi snarled viciously.

Merle pouted with a practiced look of disappointment. "But I don't know the way."

"Then _get lost_!"

"I couldn't even if I tried." She sighed.

Hitomi groaned and buried her head in her hands once more. "Go away." She said weakly.

Merle patted her head insultingly and answered softly, sweetly. "I'd love to, Hitomi, but there's just one little problem… _I live here_!"

The girl groaned even louder and let her head fall to the table with a resounding smack.

"Are you not eating?" Merle asked.

"No." she dully replied.

"Why? No appetite?"

"No."

Merle thought. "Lovesick?"

"_No_."

"Aha!" she snapped her fingers, making Hitomi jolt slightly from her position. "I _knew_ you're still constipated. You are, aren't you? Being grouchy so early in the morning and all. But that's okay. You should've just told us right from the start. It's not _that_ embarrassing, right, Hitomi?"

Hitomi's head shot up and cast a venomous glare on her. "_Will_ you do me a favor and _shut up_!"

She grinned. "Shutting up."

"One wonders why _you_ haven't touched _your_ food since last night." Eriya asked politely.

"None of your business." She spat insolently.

Naria and Eriya exchanged startled glances. "Are all man-creatures this disagreeable every morning?" Naria thought out loud.

"No, only the ones who don't regularly dispose of their bodily wastes," Merle chimed in.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up!" Hitomi shot, annoyed.

"The command you gave me had lost its desired effect."

Hitomi rolled her eyes. "You know, I'm only grumpy when I wake up in a house full of _disgusting, smelly_ hairballs." She sarcastically bantered.

"Okay. So what's your excuse for the rest of the day?"

A vein in her temple twitched. "Are all _Kitty-poos_ this _damn_ annoying?"

"Oooh, playing dirty," Merle grinned. "Nope. Only those with a freakin' sore thumb." She quipped, wiggling the thumb with the bruise where Hitomi had bit her in the forest.

"Merle, I think _you_ should _quit, _and go _kill_ yourself. _Right now._" Hitomi advised her through clenched teeth, her eyes narrowed and flashing dangerously.

But Merle was not one to let herself lose. "And I think _you_ should go to the toilet. Out there in the back. _Right now_."

Hitomi abruptly stood up and pointed her finger rudely at Merle. "You know what _I_ think?" she hissed. "I think that you, are a big, fat, _stupid_, annoying son-of-a—"

"Ah, the many powers of _love_," Naria commented idly, a piece of fishbone dangling on her fingers.

"Yes, it is almost too much to bear." Eriya agreed, listening as the two volley idiotic insults back and forth, Hitomi making Merle more competitive, and Merle making Hitomi even angrier.

"—finitely a spring of wholesome words, Hitomi," Merle commented. "Such decent phrases tumble so naturally out of your lips."

Hitomi's had it. "What is _wrong_ with you!" she screamed.

"What is wrong with _you_!" Merle asked back, an eyebrow sardonically shot up. "You've been nothing but a pain since you've got here, to think that _we_ only want to help _you_!"

"Well, I didn't _ask_ for _your_ help!"

"Oh, so now it's _my_ fault that I rescued you from the hunters? I should have just left you alone in that stinking forest to _rot_ for all I care!" she screamed back, finally lashing out on Hitomi.

"Merle, settle down," Eriya gently instructed. "Don't take anything Hitomi says too personally… _she's_ just a little off today."

"Oh, and I suppose _you_ know what's wrong with me, since the both of you are _so wise_ to know _everything_ going on in my life?" Hitomi asked mockingly.

Naria's ocean eyes were as cool as ice. "Yes, as a matter of fact, one does." She said simply. "_You_ just had a bad dream last night."

Merle was going to ask if it was true, but she had all the answers she needed: Hitomi's face had turned pasty white.

Naria stood up slowly. "_You_ dreamt that all of _your_ loved ones were killed one by one." She walked towards her. "Including the angel last night."

"Along with _your_ family back in the village." Eriya added, her ruby eyes with a hint of coolness.

Hitomi was shaking and her face was livid, but the sisters nevertheless carried on. "And when _you_ turned to see who killed all _your_ loved ones, it wasn't the faceless boy wielding a sword that _you_ were expecting." Naria narrated.

Eriya had also stood up. "Because it was _you_, _yourself_."

"What the _hell_ is _wrong_ with you people?" Hitomi stood up, her face awash in burning tears. "Can't you even give _me_ a moment of peace!" she cried. "Stop getting to know me like you understand what's going on!"

Naria looked at her straightly, blue eyes swimming in green ones. "_Do you_?" she asked cryptically.

Hitomi's eyes flashed so dangerously in that mere instant, and she spat out a very dirty word that Merle winced. "I _hate_ you! I hate all of you! Stop interfering with _my_ life!" she screamed and bolted out the door.

-

The rattling continued to echo down the solitary cave. Loud jerking movements and grunts of saved strength accentuate the unbreakable chain's melody. Its slave—The Dark Prince—wants to be freed. He longs to release his anger. He yearns for revenge.

He Who was Bound in Chains, even before he was thus, was never openly talked about, even among his fellow brothers. It was said that he was a perfected model; an angel crafted when all the stars in the universe bestowed their light upon Gaea. He had the physique and strength of hundreds, the intelligence of thousands, and his swordsmanship unparalleled.

Indeed, he was led to believe that he was—_is_—truly the one superior angel. And that was the same reason why the cave trembles so; his anger had scared away even the foundations of the earth that they quake under his mighty strength.

But he wonders, the Dark Prince. If he is truly the ultimate angel, why can he not break these chains that burn and torment him so? The puny things! These mere links would not be able to stop his power.

So… why did they?

Ever since that day, that _moment_, when her voice, her _awareness_ began to stimulate itself, he had been so restless. He could _feel_ it. He could feel the power emanating from her core, her being. He could sense the apprehension, the warning of its fast approach.

She was a very dangerous creature; one who wields a power that she does not even know of.

It irritated him to the point of madness. Thus he pulled and jerked more on the accursed manacles, but the more he did, the more the chains seem to tighten their hold. "I… must… be… _freed_!" he cried angrily, a dead and hollow voice echoing inside his musty prison. "_Hitomi!_"

-

"Hey, Hitomi," Merle greeted, noiselessly coming from behind the bushes where Hitomi sat sulking on a trunk of a cut tree. "How are you doing?"

The said female sat up, hastily wiped her face, still ungracious to Merle's friendly gesture. "Go away." She said, not even bothering to glance from her shoulder.

Merle stopped for a moment, weighing down Hitomi's command, and decided to go against it. She hesitantly walked towards her, flopping down on the ground next to where she sat. "It's been awhile since you burst out and went crazy and ran out of the hut," she mumbled, awkwardly scratching the back of her head. "So, you know, I'm just… checking up on you."

Hitomi spew sarcasm at her every chance she got. "As if I _asked_ any of you to check up on me, Merle."

The bubbly kitten rolled her eyes theatrically and sighed. "Alright, Hitomi, you win." She declared, throwing her hands up in the air in surrender. "All I came here for was to see if you're okay since you seemed so upset about the whole thing. But if you're going to be so _snippy_ about it, I might as well do as you say, and mind my own business." Merle said, sounding a little hurt as she stood up and turned around to leave.

Hitomi felt an ounce of guilt weigh down upon her. She felt ashamed for being such a jerk. Merle _had_ come to look for her bearing good intentions. "Merle, wait," she said, though in a noticeably less sardonic overtone. "Don't leave, I'm…" she sighed just as Merle had turned back around. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for… for…" she muttered, having a little trouble saying it.

"For being such a jerk?" Merle supplied, smirking.

_Ouch. Hit the nail right on the head. _"Y-Yeah," she agreed sheepishly. "I don't know. Everything that's happened seems to have finally caught up with my system, I guess."

Merle looked down upon her and smiled. "That's okay, Hitomi." She grinned, dismissing the sandy-haired girl's apologies with a wave of her hand. She flopped down again and stretched her legs. "Everyone's entitled to a little bit of irrationality now and then."

The blonde woman smiled weakly in response and sighed. "I just can't believe that all this is happening to me." She pressed her palms over her eyes. "Everyone that had been dear to me had been taken away from me, one way or another…" she looked at Merle a bit playfully. "You should run away, Merle, you might be taken away, too."

"Nah, that won't happen." Merle shrugged, stretching her arms and yawning big. "Heaven knows how much you've been a dear to me." She faced her and showed her the gesture she made with her thumb and pointer. "_This_ much." The distance between the two fingers was less than a centimeter.

Hitomi snorted and punched Merle lightly on her arm.

"Ow," Merle winced exaggeratedly. "What, and you intend to add another bruise to match this one?" she wiggled her swollen thumb at her.

Hitomi smiled openly. "Yeah, so it'll have a friend to play with."

"Loony person. How'd you like it if I did a number on you?"

Hitomi snorted. "Like you could."

"Could too."

"Could not, you couldn't even catch a puny rabbit yesterday, and had to molest poor, defenseless fish."

"Ouch. That was a low blow. Totally uncalled for. I demand that you be disqualified from this."

"You perfectly deserved it," Hitomi drawled smugly, putting her hands on her hips. After some time of giving Merle an overly haughty look, her shoulders shook and she burst into soft peals of laughter.

Merle watched her quietly while she giggled. "Much better." She grinned after a while.

Hitomi stopped laughing and faced her, puzzled. "What?"

"I said much better. Much better that you are laughing, Hitomi."

Hitomi blinked at this. _Could Merle have been... _comforting _me?_ "What do you mean?" she asked dumbly, for lack of better words to say, more than anything.

"The reason you have been so miserable, Hitomi, is because you forget to laugh sometimes." Merle looked at her directly, a soft smile on her lips. "Nono wait, change that. _Most_ of the time."

Hitomi flushed. "What do you mean that I forget to laugh? I laugh," she said very much unsure of it herself, causing a loud snort to emerge from the kitten beside her. "Well, how could _you_ laugh after all I've been through? If all I did was laugh then people would see me as crazy."

Merle rolled her eyes. "You'd _be_ crazy if you didn't cheer up." She looked at her seriously. "Lighten up, Hitomi! It won't help you at all if you keep adding to the weight of your problems. It's true, there are loads of problems to be had, it's a given. Life's like that. But sighing and sulking isn't going to solve them faster."

"And laughing will?" Hitomi answered half-mockingly.

"It certainly will." Merle replied in a heartbeat. She looked at her, her lips pursed in seriousness. "A burdened heart and mind won't function smoothly. It will poison the entire body, sharing its dysfunction. Your decisions will be clouded with it. Your own outlook will also be affected. And worst of all is, you won't act rationally." She smirked up a bit. "Like what happened to a certain girl I know a little while earlier."

_Ouch. Damn, she's getting good at this._ "I know. But after what I've been through, somehow I can't find myself laughing. It's just too… depressing."

Merle shook her head a bit. "You think that all of the world's problems are upon you. You're not the only one who's got troubles, Hitomi, but you're the only one who keeps scowling at the entire world." She laughed. "You're so serious, woman! Try loosening up a bit."

Hitomi frowned. "Life is serious, Merle."

"Yes, but it's also supposed to be _fun_. You only get to live once, and you're just wasting it sitting here bawling and pouting and crying your little head off. There'll be plenty of time to weep, but there'll also be plenty of time to laugh as well. Stop merely _existing_ as if the whole universe has decided to jump on you for a piggy-back ride, Hitomi, and start actually _living_ your life. You might actually enjoy it, you'll see."

Hitomi suddenly went very quiet, taking in the words Merle had said. She was subjugating herself, she knew, but Merle had been right. There _was_ some sense between all that pink frill on her head. "Thank you, Merle," she said simply, but sincerely.

"Don't mention it." She replied. "So, are we going to see more grins or more grimaces?"

Hitomi shook her head and laughed. "I'll try to make you proud, Merle."

Merle grinned and laid back, enjoying the soft morning sunshine as a moment of silence crept upon the two. The forest had been quiet; except for the birds and the little critters, and the wind which shook every leaf as it passed by.

Hitomi watched the treetops above her, her jade eyes a blank mirror on her thoughts. There was a question that kept nagging at her, but she wasn't quite sure on how to broach the subject. "Merle?"

"Hm?"

"Are your… are your sisters psychics?"

Merle looked at her quizzically for a moment, then burst into hysterical laughter, falling to the ground and clutching at her belly for dear life.

Hitomi flushed, embarrassed. "What's so funny?" she demanded a bit crossly.

"N-nothing," Merle gasped, wiping away tears from her eyes. "The idea just n-never came to m-me." She laughed still, Hitomi waiting patiently for her giggles to subside. Afterwards, Merle asked her. "Why do you ask?"

Hitomi couldn't answer. Instead, she busied herself looking down at a very interesting blade of grass.

Merle watched her intently for a while, noticing her discomfort, and caught on to her meaning. "Well, Hitomi… as you can probably attest to, we are not in any way normal."

Hitomi tore her eyes away from the thing on the ground and fixed them on Merle.

The kitten continued. "Have you ever seen a real cat? I mean… a cat that doesn't speak and have a human body." Hitomi nodded and Merle smiled. "Their eyes are enchanting, aren't they?"

Hitomi nodded again. "Yes, very mesmerizing. As if you couldn't look away from that gaze. As if that gaze has seen everything within you."

"_Exactly_." Merle smiled triumphantly, much to Hitomi's confusion. "That's what we do, Hitomi. We see with our eyes. Not with our human eyes, but with the feline within all of us."

Hitomi blinked, trying to let it all sink in.

Merle closed her eyes for a while, trying to compose the words in her mind so she could explain her point fully. "What lies in the heart of every creature in this earth is the same for everyone. We all came from one source; we are all connected in some way with each other. In the simplest sense, that is, the bottom line of it all, is that we are all the same animal, just branching off with subtle variations from the original model.

"It is our feline eyes that connect with that inner animal, that most basic part of our core, and we understand it, not with words or languages that humans have developed to further separate them from their own natural brothers, but with something else. Something purer and more innate."

Hitomi stared at her, saying nothing.

Merle pursed her lips and sighed a bit. "I wish Eriya was here. Then she could have explained it to you more clearly."

The honey-haired woman shook her head. "No, Merle, I understood you." She turned to look at her. "You see our souls. Your animal eyes aren't clouded with ambitions and avarice and malice and all that junk humans took upon themselves, that you can actually _see_ what a person is." Hitomi looked away, at awe with the revelation she just had. "That's why your sisters could understand me; they could _see_ the real me, all my pain, all that I've been through… everything that has affected me shows itself within me, I suppose." She sighed and smiled a wry smile. "That's something my clouded human eyes can never see."

Merle's kittenish sapphire eyes locked into her emerald ones, boring into her, and Hitomi felt that sensation as if her core was being bared; Merle was looking into her very essence. "You're wrong, Hitomi." Merle whispered softly.

Hitomi blinked. "What?"

Merle still gazed at her, sparkling eyes unknown. After a few moments, she finally tore away and grinned, the old perky kitten returning once more. "Well, that's cat-people for you. You'd better get used to it. Cats are known for being nosy, so you'll probably have more prying on your private life as long as you stay here."

Hitomi smiled. "Yes, so I've noticed."

Merle grinned at her. "Especially Eriya. She's one nosy old coot. Pretty accurate, though. Out of all the psychics, she's the one who sees most. She's the most gifted."

"And Naria?"

"Ah, now that one's just psycho." Hitomi rolled with laughter. "I'm only kidding!" Merle grinned, her own shoulders shaking. "Don't tell on me! Don't tell on me!"

Hitomi giggled. "I'll tell!" she threatened jokingly. "But honestly, between the twins, Naria's the one who gives me the chills. I don't know why."

Merle's own laughter had subsided noticeably. "It's the aura she carries. Even I feel that sometimes, and _I'm_ her sister!" she gushed, hiccupping.

The two young women giggled for quite some time, their melodious voices disrupting the dissonance of noises that Nature herself made. Soft sunbeams wafted themselves among the treetops, falling like golden pillars of benediction upon the scenery around them. When their laughter had died, the pair of unlikely friends sat staring at the distance, drinking in the seemingly blessed holiness that was evident all around them.

Merle had been fiddling with something on her back, and she handed Hitomi her item that had been ignored twice. "Here." Merle said, tossing her the fish that was supposed to be her dinner and breakfast. "For the millionth time, Hitomi, _eat_."

Hitomi barked a laugh and took the stick of salmon. "Don't tell me that you've been carrying this with you all day!"

The kitten took another one for herself and grinned. "Okay, I won't." Hitomi frowned and stuck her tongue out childishly at her. She answered with an irrepressible grin and proceeded to eating her foodstuff.

Hitomi had other plans in mind. Still no appetite, she kept twiddling with the stick while her thoughts went to work. She had been thinking about what Merle had said… and she had the most honest of judgments that these sisters really _did_ just want to help her. She can't placate the fact that ever since she'd been here, she'd been nothing but a… well, a jerk. _Ouch! _She inwardly winced. _Damn it, even I have convinced myself that I'm a jerk. This is so frustrating. _She frowned, a small grumble erupting from her throat._ But wait. Surely this is not entirely my fault. Everything that has happened was a shock to my system, and I didn't know how to handle it. Yes! _She gleefully thought. _Being unaccustomed to such overwhelmingly disastrous events, my unwise actions towards the twins and to this kitten beside me were not being done on purpose; therefore the said irrationality is justified. Hah! Loophole. _She secretly gloated, afterwards mentally shook her head and laughed at all the idiotic things she was thinking. _Now I'm defending myself against myself. I am a hopeless case._

"They're not half-bad, you know," Merle interrupted her inane train of thoughts, snapping her back to where the conversation really was. "They might look terrible at first, but actually, they're not." Hitomi blinked in surprise. How could she have caught on to her thoughts? "Just give them a chance, Hitomi… it'll be good, I promise." Merle wheedled gently.

Hitomi sat silent for a moment, frowning. Finally giving up all her defenses, she sighed. "I guess you're right, Merle," she muttered and looked at the said creature. "I really feel bad for being mean to Naria and Eriya."

Merle chewed on her fish, looked at Hitomi and smiled sweetly. "Oh? Great. Good for you." After a while, she snapped back. "But I was talking about the fish."

Hitomi snorted with laughter, her shoulders shaking. "You're crazy." She stood up, intent on returning with a full-fledged apology in her head. She glanced back at the feeding she-cat and blinked. "What, you're not coming back with me?" she asked.

Merle shook her head. "No. I think I'm going hunting out again. Even though they're nice and all, fish can be pretty tiresome."

Hitomi smiled and shook her head in return, eyes cast faraway in the distance. "You know, Merle… I've realized that I've been taking them for granted. They've been here all this time presenting themselves right in front of me, and yet I refused them." Her eyes grew wistful as she looked at her odd companion. "I must have seriously hurt their feelings. I think I have some apologizing to do."

Merle dusted off her palms while standing up, craning her neck to look at the honey-haired girl. "That would be nice. I'm sure Naria and Eriya would like that." She answered, smiling.

Hitomi's answering smile was a relieved, elated one, and it was like the sun rising up. "Really? That would be wonderful!" she beamed. Merle nodded, and Hitomi sighed happily. After a few moments, she snapped back. "But I was talking about the fish."

It was now Merle's turn to snort and shake her head. "You're a really loony person, Hitomi. _Loony_!" she snorted. "Now I'm even more certain to go hunting so I could get away from you!"

Hitomi's face of triumph was priceless. "Got you that time, Merle!" she boasted. "Can I come with you?" she asked after a while.

Merle shook her head vigorously. "No way."

Hitomi looked surprised and a little hurt with her reaction. "Why not?" she inquired indignantly.

"You might be contagious."

Hitomi snorted and stomped her foot, her hands on her hips. "_Merle_!"

The candy pink-haired kitten looked up at her and nodded. "Yes, I know. And you're Hitomi."

Hitomi grunted and threw her hands up in the air. "There is just _no _talking with you." She gave up.

Merle grinned at her and walked away from the clearing, leaving Hitomi behind. But after a few steps of hearing someone following her, she turned around to see the same girl close behind. She called out to her, puzzled. "I thought you're going back to apologize?"

Hitomi's answering grin was the high point of that morning. "I've got a better idea."

-

"Thou called for me, Most Holy?" warily greeted a haggard-looking Kamion.

It has been a harrowing day for him, as it was his doing which led to the _un_doing of his childhood friend, companion, confidant, and above all, his brother Ontrose. He was the one who exposed his comrade's secret investigations, and he had been there to lead the battalion himself to chase down the raven-haired rebel. And he was aptly rewarded. Yes, he was rewarded recognition by the highest authority speaking his name, but he was also rewarded with a guilty conscience that will continue to haunt his soul until the end of his eternal days.

The Ancient Angel, his back turned to him, nodded his head in acknowledgement. He had been in the confines of the slender peaks of the observatory for the remainder of that morning. Its walls were covered with innumerous bookshelves; containing volumes and volumes of all the deeds and destinies which lay ahead for each and every mortal ever born, and each and every angel ever created. Considering the tower's immense height, just the task of finding one person's destiny in those volumes might take hours—_days_, even—and the Ancient Angel was in a bit of a hurry and he didn't have that much time.

He was peering over an aged volume, pages quite tattered and crackling. He turned around for his subject to see him, but his wrinkle-lined eyes never left the page he was scanning. "Kamion, how didst thy expedition go?"

An arrow of pain flashed before Kamion's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it had come. "Thy angels met him above the northern seas, Holy." He supplied, his voice a hollow-sounding echo from the hollow shell of an angel.

"And?" pressed the silver-haired Elder.

There was silence for a while, only to be broken by Kamion's dead voice. "He met his death and plunged into the ocean."

The Elder nodded again, and returned to the book he was perusing. After a few dead moments of heightened tension, he sensed Kamion's discomfort and confronted him about it. "All for the better good, Kamion, thou shouldn't be bothered by such things."

Kamion fidgeted. "But he was my friend, my Lord." He simpered.

"And as good a friend as thou are, thou hath revealed unto me his wrongdoings and hath delivered his chastisement properly." The Ancient Angel cut him shortly. "Thou hath done the right thing, Kamion. Better for it that he hath _died_ into thy own hands than his soul be _destroyed_. If he hath found the truth which he doth seek, then his own destiny shall be far, far worse than death itself. For him, death is his reward."

Kamion's tired eyes grew even more remorseful than it had a second ago. Truth be told, it was not _his_ sword which had mortally wounded Ontrose. No; he was too much of a coward to face him himself. He had only been there to announce and lead the assault, but seeing his friend battle alone against the army of heaven was too much for him, and he stole away before his tears betrayed his eyesight. But he replied in a sighing voice. "I perfectly understand, my Lord."

Getting that issue out of the way, the Ancient now came to the reason he had called his messenger in the first place. He nodded. "Now then, Kamion. Dost thou still recall the records of all thy brothers that hath fallen?"

Kamion glanced up, a slight interest in his eyes. Indeed, when Ontrose and he were just young, they had been given separate responsibilities. The two of them had been ahead of their brothers, and their accomplishments gave way to their tasks. Whereas Ontrose went out into the human world to protect the lives of mortal children, his days were consumed by being confined in musty rooms and yellowed parchments of records, summons and accounts of both mortals and angels. "A bit, Most Ancient. I cannot possibly recall all of thy records, for they are far too many." He admitted.

"Prithee, recall it, even this once," the Immortal One coaxed. "I might need one of their help sometime soon."

Kamion blinked, fully aware now. "Which one dost thou speakest?" he asked politely.

The Elder closed his book and rubbed his chin in thought, his eyes narrowed down and his lips in a pursed frown. "His demise hath happened long ago," he began. "He was one of the protectors. He liked mortals enough, but he hath this absurd notion about racial differences. He absolutely _despised_ all the half-races."

The blond Kamion cocked his head in reverie, then his eyes grew a bit wide. "I think that I may know of whom thou speakest, Lord."

The Ancient Angel nodded and carried on. "He used to talk to me about it. Tried to make me agree to his horrendous will to eradicate the half-humans. When I turned down his offer, he rebelled." He shook his head gently at the thought. "Pity. He was a beautiful creature. His hair flowed and shined like liquid silver when he was in flight." He shook his head again, making the thoughts go away. "Anyway, he was severely punished after burning an entire village of half-humans to ashes. As he loved it so much to be with his humans, I turned him into a mortal as his lifetime punishment."

Kamion nodded somberly. "Yes, Master, I do remember him. His records are still intact." His eyebrows twisted in thought. "Methinks, if I am not mistaken, that he is still alive, and is still pursuing his will to exterminate the half-races, even though the Most Ancient hath deleted his memories."

The Elder beamed at this pronouncement. "Well done, Kamion, I knew I could count on you." Kamion looked somewhat ecstatic. "Now, where exactly here are his records? I might be in need of his services to achieve my goal." He said and picked up the volume he was scanning a while ago.

Kamion blinked for a while. "But my Lord, I thought that I hath finished that goal."

The Elder smiled a slow smile. "Ah, Kamion, thou art mistaken." He flipped through the crackling pages. "The goal you spake of hath indeed been done; Ontrose hath been pacified. But if I were to let the source of it go unscathed, this same event might and _will_ undoubtedly happen again." He looked at him gravely. "Until _she_ is alive, my sons will continue to fall."

Kamion started visibly as he caught on to the meaning of his master. "M-Master!" he stammered. "Thou art going to _kill_ her?"

"No, Kamion. I don't have to do that." He looked at his pale-faced messenger. "But if I can urge his stars to change their course into the direction of where I was thinking, I wouldn't have to kill her myself."

"B-But Holy!" Kamion interjected. "Killing humans on purpose doth go against our laws."

The Ancient Angel went silent for a moment, and Kamion shuddered thinking he might have offended his master. After a few moments of silence, the Elder gruffly spoke. "She is an exception."

Kamion's jaw dropped slightly. This has been the first time he had witnessed such disregard for the rules. When forced to think about it, Ontrose's violations pale in comparison to what the Ancient was planning to do. Purposely killing a human? Blasphemous! Such sacrilege, even for the highest authority in Gaea. Much to Kamion's dislike, his own thoughts kept nagging at him. What _is_ the story behind Hitomi? Why is it that her identity _has_ to remain a secret?

A vagrant and somewhat disturbing thought just occurred to him. _What if… what if I sneak into the library and look into her accounts? _Kamion mentally berated himself for even _thinking_ of such acts. If he got caught, surely his fate would be of Ontrose's as well. _Or even worse. _He thought. _For I know far much more about this, and I am far too involved with this than Ontrose had._ Still, the more he tried to push it away from his mind, the more stubbornly it would stay, resurfacing itself again and again, seeking attention. Kamion's forehead creased, his traitorous thoughts gnawing at him.

The aged Angel flipped through his books without much success. He sighed resignedly. "It will take me eons to find his accounts, and it is nearing dusk." He looked at the frowning Kamion. "I know that those events happened long ago, but dost thou still know of his name?" his scheming master asked.

Kamion nodded slowly. "Dilandau."

-

"This is going nowhere," Hitomi exclaimed with an exaggerated roll of her forest eyes, her arms crossed across her chest. Somewhere nearby, Merle stayed crouched, silent and unmoving, that is until Hitomi suddenly spoke and her quarry—a small rabbit—happily hopped away.

Merle jerked, gave a frustrated oath and snapped her head back at the woman. "_Hitomi!_" she hissed.

Hitomi looked at her. "_What?_ That rabbit knew you were sneaking up on her."

"I was about to catch it!" she snarled.

The older woman rolled her eyes again. "If you could, you would have done it _hours_ ago." She put one hand on her hip. "You've been tracking that same rabbit for _four_, _stinking hours_. If I knew better, she knew you were tracking her and was just making fun of you."

Merle glared at her, standing up and brushing twigs and dirt from her knees. "I knew I shouldn't have let you come on this trip. You'll just ruin everything with your big mouth." She muttered.

Hitomi smirked insultingly. "Just can't admit that you've just ruined everything with your big swollen thumb."

Merle snorted and punched her on the shoulder. "Wise guy. If you're so smart, why don't _you_ give it a try?"

She rubbed her shoulder slightly and smiled warmly at her invitation. "I thought you'd _never_ ask. Come with me."

-

_A sturdy little boy with sturdy little legs ran across the palace halls, the wind tousling his unruly jet-black hair. The older angels all smiled and bowed to him, very much amused at his enthusiasm and energy. His father, the Ancient Angel, caught sight of him running down towards the open courtyards just as he was rounding a corner. He smiled and called out to him. "Van, my boy, where art thou going?"_

_The said boy screeched to a halt and turned around to see his father approaching him placidly. He treated him to a great grin and ran to hug his knees. "Good morrow, Father!" he greeted._

_The Elder smiled broadly at this, patting the child's head in return. "Where art thou going so early?"_

_Van looked up at him, his young face full of energy. "To the earth below." He gushed._

_The Ancient Angel smiled knowingly. "Thou hath started to serve as protector to the girl?"_

_The raven-haired boy nodded eagerly. "Her name's Hitomi, she's six earth years old, she's got a younger brother and she's going to meet me at the river!" Van gushed excitedly, his words tumbling into each other._

_The Ancient Angel laughed heartily and bent down to pick him up. "Thou hath only been watching her for a week, and thou already know of this much?" he asked._

_Van nodded. "She's really very nice, Father. Maybe someday you can meet her." He smiled. Van glanced at the sun, noted its position, and a worried expression crossed his features. "Oh, no! I'm late! I'm late!" he exclaimed, struggling to get down._

_His father proceeded in doing so. "Be careful, Van. Don't let her swim towards the deeper parts of the river." He cautioned with a smile._

_Van waved to him while running, unfolding his wings. "Don't worry, Father. If that happens, I told her to wave for me, so I could see." And with that, he was off._

_The Ancient Angel cocked his head in mild surprise. _She could _see_ him? _He shook his head at the thought almost instantly. _She is just a child. A child with pure and innocent eyes. This hasn't been the first case of such things. _He smiled, feeling assured and relieved. He strode away back towards his quarters; Van will be safe down on earth._

-

"_Father, a word with you?" asked a low, masculine voice as Van pushed through the heavy ornate doors of the Ancient Angel's main hall._

_His father, the ruler and head angel of Paradise, looked up from the roll of parchment he was ratifying, his eyeglasses glinting in the afternoon sun. "Oh, Van, it's you. Of course, of course, sit down." He said, motioning to an empty chair near his desk._

_Van held up a hand in gentle refusal. "No thanks, Father, I am in a bit of hurry."_

"_Oh? Where to?"_

"_To Hitomi."_

_The Ancient Angel parted his lips, mouthing off a silent "ah". Over the years it had been the norm for him to miss his beloved son almost everyday. He would usually wake up early in the morning and leave just after he'd washed his face to spend the whole day with his charge, the human girl Hitomi. He never forbade it; he knew that Hitomi was a gentle girl, and needed not that much attention. Furthermore, this contact with human beings had made Van receptive, observant and compassionate, and he sought it best for his son to be the best among all of his sons._

_But of course, even the gentlest and most innocent things must come to an end. The human girl Hitomi was now fifteen, a tender age for females of her species. It was at that age when the females of their kind would blossom into a full-grown adult, and though he felt himself foolish to feel so, he felt frightened that Van might look into his charge with a newfound feeling._

_A _dangerous _newfound feeling._

_He must have admitted that his ideas were ridiculous; the mere thought of an angel falling for a mortal was a sacrilege. But still, it wasn't unheard of. And for him, as for all the fathers all over the world, he would find it better that his own son hate him with his decision than see him fall into a destiny that is clearly against heaven and earth._

"_Father, are you listening?" Van's curious voice interrupted his thoughts._

_The Elder blinked. He smiled and nodded vaguely, while his eyes were busy looking at his son._

_He had grown tall and had matured. His dark hair was as black as always, and still unruly; dark strands falling softly over one of his eyes. His features, quite soft and innocent when he was just a child, had taken a life of their own now that he has grown up. His eyes, still that brewing wine color, sparkled with intelligence and authority. His nose and jaw, quite angular, was like chiseled into perfection. His muscles over the years of constant training had hardened, and it showed in just the right places. His rich, smooth skin, which was like alabaster when he had been created, had been darkened by the sun, and it healthily glowed into the now-caramel color it had._

_Truly, he was a work of art._

"_Father, I have the slightest suspicion that you are not listening to me," Van announced again, a small playful smile gracing his features._

_The Elder blinked again, and passed a weary hand over his eyes. "Forgive me, my son," he apologized, laughing. "I am getting too old for this. Perhaps I should commission someone to handle the paper works instead." He looked at his son once more. "What is it that thou art trying to tell me?"_

_Van nodded. "Yes, I think you should," he agreed absently. He straightened himself afterwards. "Father, I've been asking you about Hitomi."_

_His heart pounded a little faster. "Thy mortal responsibility? Yes, what about her?"_

_Van cleared his throat quietly, a little apprehensive now that he had caught his father's attention. "I've been meaning to ask you... if I could bring her up here in Gaea."_

_The Ancient Angel turned to him sharply, as the other angels that have been present in that room began to whisper and murmur about the young prince's pronouncement._

"_Everyone, please leave us," the Elder commanded politely but firmly. The angels reluctantly obeyed, closing the high doors behind them. He turned to his son, eyes angry and suspicious. "What is this about, Van?" he asked curtly._

_Van stared at him straight in the eye. "I wanted her to see Gaea. I'm asking you if I could bring her here."_

"_Are you saying that she can _see_ you?" he asked, quite shocked, actually._

"_Yes, I've told you about that when I was younger," was Van's nonchalant answer._

_The Elder shook his head and stood up. "No, I mean until _now_?"_

_The raven-haired young prince cocked his head in puzzlement. "Yes, she always has, so why shouldn't she?"_

_The Ancient Angel strode up to him and stood before him, an impressive man with his towering height. "Van, humans aren't supposed to see creatures like us, or anything else that's related with us. It is beyond their comprehension to understand something like this." He explained tensely but patiently._

"_Why not? Hitomi has seen me since childhood, and she understands me."_

_This point in time, his anger caught up with his brain, and the Elder lashed out onto his son. "You shouldn't _question_ anything about this matter, Van, it just is! It has always been, and always will be! You can't bring her here! Do you understand me?" he shouted in outrage._

_Van looked at him with wide eyes, quite stunned at his father's reaction. He shook his head. "No, Father, I don't understand." He whispered and turned around._

"_Van! Listen to me, young man, from this day forward I _lift_ your responsibility over her! She is no longer under _your_ supervision, do you hear me?"_

_Van neither turned nor answered. He just kept walking towards the ornate doors to get away from his father._

_The Elder tried to follow him, thunder in his voice. "Van! You are no longer permitted to see that mortal. Do you understand me?" he caught up with him in front of the door and grasped his shoulder. "Van, I _forbid_ it!"_

_Van stared at the doorknob in his hand, his jaws clenched in suppressed anger. He turned his head over his shoulder and fixed his father with a gaze that would haunt the Elder's days for eons to come. "You can't force me not to do what I _want_ to do."_

_And with that, Van left the citadel, angering the Gods as he did so._

-

A single tear trickled down his cheeks as memories of his beloved son replayed over and over in his head. Blinking in surprise that he had, in fact, shed a tear for this ancient event, he absently brushed it away with an old, tired hand, and stared blankly at the heavens. The sun was about to retire for the night, staining the whole world salmon in its departure. His eyes darted to and fro along the horizon, but no stars have decided to twinkle down upon him at this early hour. He sighed.

He had started to see visions again. The same visions, reappearing themselves whenever someone dear to him meets their downfall. Van. Dilandau. And now, even Ontrose. These angels were among his best creations, yet they easily fell prey upon their own emotions. _Why_ didn't they just heed his call when he told them to? _Why _didn't they just stay put when he asked them to?

It was all her fault. It was all _Hitomi_'s fault.

If she had not met Van at all, none of this would have happened. He _had_ to put a stop to this; it was a choice that should have been made a long time ago. Thinking to himself that the mistakes of the past would not repeat itself, he opted to let her live once more, and gave her a new life. But now that she has claimed Ontrose as well, he had to act quickly before another one takes the fall.

He gazed up at the sky. At last, the stars have decided to appear.

_Damn visions. Visions that keep focusing themselves in my inner eye whenever one of my sons have fallen. Visions that I don't need. I do not need these visions._

_I need my sons._

-

"Get ready, Merle, another one's coming out!" Hitomi shouted, fanning vigorously at the small bonfire she created to the simple task of catching tonight's dinner.

Merle tensed her hands, ready at the hole's entrance. True enough, one more long-eared rabbit came scampering out of the rabbit hole to escape the smoke Hitomi had been fanning through the back door, only to be grasped by Merle's viselike grip.

"Got it?" Hitomi hollered.

"Yeah, I got 'em!" Merle shouted back, tying her victim and tossing it along her other quarries. "I never knew hunting could be so easy!" she grinned in spite of herself.

Hitomi grinned herself. "You just have to have the brains for this whole matter. Not everything in this world can be achieved through mindless brawn." Hitomi slowed her fanning and cocked her ear to listen. "I think that's just about it, I don't hear anything anymore."

Merle cocked her ear, too, and listened. "Either that or you just choked them to death with your smoke technique," she said with much distaste.

Hitomi smiled lazily, extinguishing the small fire she made. "No, they would have sought out fresh air and come out of your end of the hole."

Merle shrugged and picked up the bundle on the ground. They had caught six plump rabbits; a sizeable catch, not bad for a human.

"Do you think Naria and Eriya would like these rabbits that we caught?" Hitomi asked tentatively.

Merle smiled in spite of herself. "Naria and Eriya will be so _proud_, Hitomi." She replied.

Hitomi's mint eyes danced in the starlight.

As they walked side by side home, Hitomi asked Merle about a peculiarity she noticed when she first broached the method of using fire to bring out the rabbits. "Why did you disagree at first, Merle?"

"I still disagree about it, Hitomi, not just at first." Merle replied lowly. "But it was getting dark and we have to get food, so I followed your idea."

The golden-haired woman stared at her silently for a while. "Why? Why do you dislike it so much?"

Merle never answered, but Hitomi was queer enough to notice the pain, anger and loathing swirling in her deep blue eyes. She knew at once that she hit a sore spot, and decided never to open the subject again. "I'm sorry, Merle. Forget I asked you the question."

They walked quietly after that, none of them talking; the light of the moon and the stars guiding them back. Not long after they topped a small rise that announced the end of the forest, and saw the tiny huts of the cat-people's village in the distance.

Merle breathed in deep for a moment and stretched her arms, yawning. Hitomi looked at her and smiled, she had been pretty tired herself. But it was all worth it. "Nice stars," she commented, noticing the many winking diamonds in the velvet sky.

Merle nodded and looked up herself. "The air around here is clear, since we're surrounded by mountains and forests, so there's no fog or smoke to block out the stars." She smiled, and frowned after a while, rubbing her eyes. "Hey, that was weird."

Hitomi glanced at her. "Why, what's wrong? What did you see?"

Merle narrowed her eyes and tiptoed a little closer towards the heavens, having a better look. "Nothing… for a moment there, I thought I just saw that star _move_…"

Hitomi looked up herself, calculating where the said star was judging from where Merle was gaping at. "Maybe it's just a shooting star."

The kitten shook her head gently. "No, it wasn't a shooting star. But I swear… that star just _moved_…"

Blinking in puzzlement, the two decided to let it be and trotted down the small hill to where two grown cat-women stood hungry and waiting for their dinner.

-

Somewhere in the middle of that impenetrable dark forest, a patchwork band of hunters were awake, drinking strong ale and badly singing songs around a roaring fire. Inside a sizeable tent, a tall, slimly muscular man with silver hair and menacing ruby eyes lay brooding, his arms crossed beneath his head as he rested on his makeshift bed. He had been bent on destroying all of the half-races, and he had almost succeeded, having burned a whole village of half-wolves and other creatures before. But for years now, his sporadic sweeps across the boarders and forests and mountains have been fruitless. He does not believe that he had eradicated the world of these filthy things; he could still feel them in his blood. And now that his attempts to find them all result to nothing, his blood boiled in anger and irritation.

His hands itched to hack, slash, and _burn_ another filthy village once more.

He had been thinking. He had been sweeping the eastern side of the continent, for that is where all the great rivers are. If his prey needed to start anew, the only logical choice would be to start near a water source. So, firmly fixing it into his mind to sweep eastward of the continent, he closed his eyes to catch a few hours' sleep.

But suddenly, something kept nagging at him to change his decision, to change his heart. Somewhere deep inside of him, his instincts told him that his quarries were _not_ along the east coast, but on the _southern_ side of the continent. Having questions in his mind as to where and why this sudden change of heart, he didn't know. The only thing he knew was this: the very next day, they would start their trek southward.

He stood up and stepped out into the clearing; one of his men saw him and greeted him. "Boss! Why're y' still up at this late hour?" he asked in a slurred voice.

"Get everyone up, Miguel, I've got news." He instructed.

His subordinate, Miguel, did as he was told. Shambling his way, he poked and even kicked the men who were asleep, and slapped the faces of those who were drunk senseless. "Lissen up, everyone!" he bellowed. "Th' boss got something t' say."

Everyone focused themselves—or at least, _tried_ to—on the silver-haired man standing before them.

The red-eyed man grinned viciously, his eyes dancing like the flames in the campfire. "Boys, we've got a new trail to pick. I smell a rotten village of filthy creatures. Tomorrow, we're heading south!"

The boys, all who have been hungry for some wild action, took joy from hearing this, and rewarded their leader with loud roars of approval.

Miles away up in his observatory, the Ancient Angel smiled with satisfaction. "Well done, Dilandau." He murmured at Dilandau's brightly twinkling star. "Very well done."

-

A cheeky little sparrow perched upon the edge of the open window of Hitomi's room, heralding the dawn with short, melodious chirping songs. Sunlight streamed through, casting a luminous, golden glow inside her quarters. She lazily opened her eyes; beautiful jade orbs that reflected the glory of the morning sunshine, and let them adjust themselves to the sudden brightness, focusing on the roughly made stone roof.

Hitomi pressed the back of her palm to her forehead and moaned gently. For two nights since her sudden outburst, she had not had any more nightmares. She had finally managed to catch two full night's sleep, and she enjoyed every minute of it. For the first time in a very long time, her subconscious had given her peace.

Breathing in deep the fresh morning air, she blinked her eyes a few times, and sat up from her bed, stretching her arms as she did so. She felt oddly energized. From the dining room outside her borrowed quarters, the smell of deliciously seasoned stew wafted through the air. Hitomi smiled. Today's breakfast consisted of rabbit once again.

Merle sat near the windows, looking out, licking the amber fur covering her paws. Naria and Eriya were standing near the stove, stirring in various herbs and spices into the thick broth of the rabbit stew. "Good morning," Hitomi chirped in happily.

"Good morning, sunshine." Merle grinned. Naria and Eriya smiled and also said their morning greetings. They had been quite accustomed in having Hitomi around the house; once her tantrums have been properly taken care of, she was a joy to have around, like a ball of sunshine bursting its light into the whole room. And if they would be asked about it, they would gladly tell in a heartbeat that they would want the girl to live with them for life.

"Mm, that smells delicious!" she sniffed, closing her eyes at the wonderful sensation it brought in her. Through the days she had been staying with them, she felt a sense of belonging; as if she had been intended to be there. All thoughts of angels, paradise, Gaea, were temporarily forgotten, to be replaced by Eriya's kind words and Merle's playful taunting.

To Hitomi, this was her home.

"It'll be ready in a minute, Hitomi." Naria said softly.

After a while, they gathered around the stone table and ate their breakfast. Hitomi ate her food with a soft, contented smile on her face. She really wanted to stay. For once in her life, she really felt that _this_ is the place where she belonged—with creatures that understand her, that _accepted_ her for the half-human that she is. In that short period of time that she had spent with Merle and the twins, she had already learned to love them, and she honestly felt that she was being loved back.

She secretly stole glances at them and frowned a bit. She knew it was wrong to stay. In her heart, even though every piece of her screamed that this is the right place for her, she knew that that isn't so. In her heart, she had been longing for paradise; but the question her faceless angel asked her in her dream still remains: is there really such a thing?

A deep sadness mirrored in her eyes. She thought about what Ontrose said before he left. Can she really jeopardize everyone else's safety by staying here? Surely she didn't think that she could hide here forever. The whole of _heaven_ is searching for her; these creatures would be of no match if there was a battle.

Hitomi looked at their faces and her heart seemed to shudder. She couldn't bear to see them get hurt.

Seeing the troubled look on her pale face, Eriya, always the observant one, gently rescued Hitomi from her predicament. "Are _you_ finished, Hitomi?" she asked gently.

Hitomi blinked as she snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh, y-yes," she stammered.

Eriya smiled. "Why don't _you_ join me outside for a little talk? It's been days since we had a nice, long chat," she offered.

"I would like that very much," Hitomi accepted graciously.

Eriya and Hitomi left the two with the dishes—Merle sulking just a bit—and walked a ways until they topped a grassy knoll. They sat side by side, the gentle breeze caressing their hair and the soft grass beneath them. "Come on, tell me what's on _your_ mind," Eriya chuckled.

Hitomi looked at her and sighed. She still hasn't come to grips with what their eyes could actually see. "I've been thinking, Eriya…" she began. "I've been thinking about… about leaving."

There was a moment of silence. "One rather thought _you_ might." Eriya broke in.

Hitomi gathered her knees in her arms and rested her head upon them. "I just can't stay here and endanger all of you, Eriya. You've been so nice to me! I don't want anything to happen to you," she explained.

Eriya looked at her and smiled an enigmatic smile. "That's not the reason _you_ want to leave, is it?"

Hitomi blushed. "Well…" she muttered. "It's partially true." She conceded, trying to evade the answer. Eriya's penetrating gaze prevented that, however, and she sighed in surrender. "I want to find Paradise."

For the longest moment, neither of them spoke. The wind filled in those awkward silent moments; rustling the leaves from the trees surrounding the village. Eriya neither objected nor agreed, she just stayed there; silent and mysterious, her eyes glinting in the sun as if deciphering what hidden message she had just said.

Hitomi wordlessly craned her neck upwards, her eyes searching the heavens for an answer. _If only I could fly,_ she thought, her new wings twitching automatically in response. _If only I could fly... then everything will be alright. I could fly far, far away from here..._

"Why?" Eriya piped in, shattering Hitomi's ruminations.

Hitomi snapped her head back at her. "Huh?" she dumbly asked.

"Why?" Eriya repeated; her face deadly serious. "Why do humans look to the sky when they know they can't fly? Why do humans look at the ocean when they know they can't swim?" she asked.

Hitomi blinked in her response.

The red-eyed feline twisted her body so she was facing Hitomi directly. She looked at her; rubies embracing emeralds. "Why must humans prove to themselves that they are superior? Why must humans destroy everything to prove to themselves that they are superior?"

Hitomi could not answer.

Eriya continued. "Hitomi, why do _you_ look to the sky to search for paradise?"

She blinked. She hadn't really thought about that. "Because… because paradise is somewhere up there," she pointed upwards. "I saw it before."

Crimson eyes held her, they pinned her to her seat in their force. "Open _your_ eyes Hitomi, and look around _you_. _This_ is paradise."

Hitomi's eyes widened for a while, and she swiveled her neck to look around her, only noticing the village for the first time. There were thatched huts, crude campfires, muddy watering holes and barren earth around them. Sparse, grassy areas were too far away for their safety, wilting under the blazing sun. And the forest that surrounded them was fast dwindling away, ancient trees disappearing one by one like bubbles that in a mere instant vanishes. Hitomi's verdant eyes gazed at the lonely and desolate enclave about her.

And it clearly wasn't what she pictured paradise would be.

She glanced at Eriya, and was quite surprised to see her features hard as stone. Her eyes searched the ruby depths for a reason, and what she found there made her lower lip tremble. "Humans did this," she whispered.

The silence that followed was broken by Eriya's steady voice. "Long before man had been born, long before cat-people were born, long before the angels were created, the earth had existed.

It is our mother; it is she who gives us life, sustenance. It is the earth which gives us our water to drink, our air to breathe, our food to eat. She is our ultimate mother, and we are all her children.

Long ago, this place was a fertile plain. Trees stood majestically to reach for the heavens. Animals and creatures of all kinds and sizes roamed wild and free. There was harmony in everything; everything had a place, had a purpose. There was nothing missing, and there had always been plenty for the young that will inherit the fertile earth."

The abrupt change in Eriya's face almost made Hitomi cower in fear. "But man changed that." She whispered with heavy distaste.

Hitomi stayed quiet and listened.

"Humans always strived for perfection, never accepting the way of nature. They never accepted any of us as their _equals_; they always _had_ to be at the very pinnacle. In their constant greed for domination, they even _challenged_ the very foundations of the earth. They persevered, devoting generations and generations to science and philosophy which made them slowly drift apart from the rest of our world. Soon after that, the world was no longer one; it was divided into two. Nature, and _Man_.

But humans were insecure beings, too afraid and _stupid_ to accept that they are not alone in this world. They ventured the earth, _raping_ the landscape, owning _everything_ as if they are the only ones who needed it. And in their quest for supremacy, they had _destroyed_ the land which is the only source of life."

Eriya stood up straight and gazed down at Hitomi. "Think about it, child. The paradise that _you_ search for, it is for man, isn't it?"

Hitomi nodded silently.

"Then why do _you_ _stubbornly_ search for it in the sky when humans weren't even created to fly?"

She didn't have an answer to that.

Eriya's eyes narrowed with intensity. "This _is_ paradise, Hitomi." She said insistently, almost begging. "No matter how harsh and awful life can be here, this is _our_ home. This is _our_ paradise." She paused. "Until _your_ kind took it from us."

Hitomi could feel tears welling up inside. For a moment there, she had almost hated her race for the injustice that they had done to these hapless creatures. In the few days she had been here, she experienced how hard it is for them to survive, to even eke out a meager existence, and it was all the fault of _her _kind. And yet they accepted her and treated her as though she was one of their own. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the woman standing before her.

Eriya blinked, she was caught off guard. She looked at Hitomi with warm and tender eyes. The next instant she was holding the honey-haired woman tightly as she crouched next to her. "Just remember, child. A paradise that exists somewhere beyond the reach of those who were intended to inherit it is just a _lie_. That is not your sanctuary, it is just an illusion. If the place you so _desperately_ long for has hurt you this much, then it is not _real_."

She held her at arm's length and gazed at her cool emerald eyes. "Look with _your_ human heart, Hitomi, not with _your_ human eyes. Then for sure… the paradise that _you_ so long for… the paradise that _you've_ been searching for… will be real."

A single tear swept down Hitomi's cheek, falling gently down her chin, landing on the earth. If only one tear could restore the land which her race had abused so much, if only one tear was all it took for these people to reclaim their Eden, she would gladly shed a thousand and one tears to replenish all the things they took away from them.

From somewhere in the village, a bell tolled, ringing high and proud into the still air. Eriya and Hitomi sharply looked into the direction of the village, just to see Merle running up at them, panting slightly. "Eriya, Hitomi," she gasped. "The leader wants to speak with us."

Hitomi looked at them imploringly, green orbs darting from Merle to Eriya.

The older feline filled in her queries. "He wants to know why _you're_ still here, Hitomi."

-

The large communal hut was filled with curious cat-people, old and young alike. Candles were lit around the clan leader's high-backed ancient chair, which stood upon a small dais at the northern end of the hut. Hitomi, Merle and the twins sat on the dirt, getting anxious by the minute as the whispers of the other villagers grew increasingly louder.

A sudden lull filled the room, and the cat-people's clan leader strode out into the cleared path for everyone to see. Hitomi turned her head and looked at him.

He was tall, much taller than Naria and Eriya. Like all the other villagers, he was covered in short, thick fur, grey in color. Black and brown stripes adorned his body. His long, flowing white hair had been washed, and an intricate headdress made of long leaves and twigs was resting on his cat-shaped head.

He reached the dais at a stately pace and seated himself on his chair, his long-fingered hands clasping the end of the crooked armrests. His face was old, but robust. And his penetrating orange eyes were so full of wisdom and serenity that Hitomi had trouble taking her own eyes away from them.

Naria, Eriya and Merle bowed in their seats; their foreheads touching the dusty ground as they did so. Finding the need to mimic their acts of respect, Hitomi did the same, though in a less graceful manner due to her thundering heartbeat.

The leader raised one hand and spoke in a low but calm voice. "_Naree-ya, Eree-ya. Yad ho, groja dalee-en._"

The twins responded in unison. "_Yad ho, groja dalee-en. Yad mar isshum._"

The villagers surrounding them stirred in their seats. The ceremony has now begun.

Orange eyes fell on Hitomi's head, and she felt burned by their immense power. "_Iad hara an kit-kaeel, semmara gorim ud jal narad-gorek tal at kell-reeva, Naree-ya._"

Hitomi's eyes darted sideways to Naria. "_Ud jal dal-eet kell-reeva mar gat-tajo det kihael-en dal-saeem. Iaru-ha kara an Garaed ael-saud._" Naria replied politely.

"_Morte hakar-enja, kell-reeva akk-haya an ael-saud._" Came the stern reply.

"_Iaru-ha kara an Garaed ael-saud,_" Eriya spoke, polite but firm. "_Yad kell-reeva en kar-kaeel grakaur anda-et semmara ud jal mihasshir akk-ha dal are-ho kit-tajo an Naree-ya._"

The leader turned his eyes on Naria. "_Ud tal hak-kaeen ruha-jar?_" he asked pointedly.

Naria nodded slowly.

The villagers' whispers grew louder as they cast looks on Hitomi. She roamed her eyes around her, very much confused, very much lost. The clan leader tapped his finger on his armrest, and the whispers died down. His eyes narrowed. "_Iad hara kal aun Garaed har-meeya kraan-ket mar gayum, Eree-ya? Ud kit-hara an akk-hael dal are-ho kit-tajo? Set tahir en har-haeem kal kure ud torak!_" he shouted.

Naria bowed even lower, Eriya refused to meet his gaze, and Merle's bowed head shivered slightly, her ears flattening themselves while Hitomi grew increasingly nervous. She was as lost as ever.

After a few moments, Naria dared to speak. "_Iad kir et tol-gorek at kell-reeva,_" She replied slowly, but steadily. "_Set tal hak-kaeen kell-reeva ar garan-dal yad kaya har-shirkaet._"

"_Mar teki an gar-marrum!_" the leader bellowed and pounded his fists on his armrest, causing the villagers to an uproar.

Neither of them could speak, even Hitomi. After all, what could she say? She couldn't even understand _half_ of what they were talking about, though she was pretty sure it was her—the particular word _kell-reeva_ was said with much distaste by the leader—that they were arguing about.

"_Akk-hara ud jal kell-reeva!_" roared a burly male citizen.

"_Iad tahir kal-kahen an kell-reeva ud semmara!_" shouted another.

Voices overlapped, shouts and bellows were thrown at every direction, and it was all too much to bear. Hitomi's head was spinning; her mind was so confused, so lost. How could she have understood everything, when she could understand nothing? She clamped her hands over her ears trying to make the awful sound stop.

"_Iad mar-hayem kur-hagga at graja en al kaho dal semmara Meruru!_" the leader Garaed angrily blurted out.

At this, the scene changed. Naria and Eriya both snapped their heads up, Naria with a shocked face that she locked on to their leader, and Eriya with a slightly frantic concerned one that was hovering over Merle's shaking form. The said candy-haired kitten had slowly lifted her head, revealing a pale, loathe-filled face that trembled with eyes filled of unmasked anger.

"How _dare_ you!" Merle spat, standing up and pointing rudely at the shocked leader. "Not even _you_ could talk about me like that!"

Eriya tried to placate her. "Merle, calm down," she said soothingly.

Merle's face was livid, and she was shaking with fury. "I know that I am not one of you, you people practically scream the fact everyday!" she growled loudly, silencing the lot of the villagers. "Naria and Eriya had been so kind to help me and keep me as their own sister! And _you_ shouldn't shout at them for that!"

Garaed's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Naria sharply turned to her. "One cautions you to _calm down, _little sister." She said, her voice failing to mask the edge and danger in it. "Remember that this is a sacred place. Do not anger our leader anymore or you would be _punished_ for your _impertinence!_"

"**_I_ punish myself for the death of my people!**" she screamed, her face bursting forth with tears of anguish. "**What could _he_ do to make it any different?**" she turned and faced the hushed crowd. "I _know_ that angels burned my village years ago, do you have to remind me? Do you not _think_ that I still grieve for my mother and father and my brothers and sisters that were _burned_ _alive_ just to let me _live_?" she howled, the tears falling one after another. "If you would put me to _death_ by my doing this, then_ go ahead and do it! _You think that I still _want_ to _live_ after all that I've loved has left me behind?" her shoulders shook, she sobbed bitterly, uncontrollably. Tears dropped continuously and stained the dirt underneath them. "I thought that I could start anew, and with Naria and Eriya I was able to do that. But _you_ people have been _so_ _unkind_!"

Eriya went beside her and wrapped her arms around her, whispering soothing words in her ear. "It's not my fault our village was burned, the angels did it! But please don't accuse me of bringing in bad luck because heaven _knows_ that has _never_ been my intention!" she choked in a half-whisper, weeping uncontrollably.

"Merle…" Hitomi helplessly uttered, still rooted on her spot. Her eyes misted with sadness. This was the reason Merle didn't approve of her method during their hunt; it reminded her of her own cruel fate when her family was taken from her all at once.

Eriya was rubbing Merle's arm with her hands, while Naria had moved so she was nearest to Hitomi. The pink-haired kitten wiped the tears from her red and puffy eyes and fixed the leader with an angry stare. "And you don't have the reason to involve Hitomi with this." She sniffed.

Hitomi turned sharply towards her.

"Even though she's a mixture of two of the most dangerous races, I _know_, and I'm sure that both my _sisters_ Naria and Eriya know as well, that she is a _good_, _gentle_ person, and she is _not_ a threat to _your_ people."

The twins lifted their chins high up at that pronouncement, affirming Merle's strong statement as they met Garaed's orange eyes with their steady gazes.

Merle continued in between hiccups. "Surely you can see for yourself, Garaed," she hiccupped. "That this girl—this _half_-human—is not an ordinary one, to say the very least… even by half-human standards."

Garaed managed to hide a sneer. Yes, she _was _indeed extraordinary… but in a volatile, _treacherous_ way.

Naria helped Hitomi to her feet, and stepped forward. "One stands by one's judgment, clan leader," she announced matter-of-factly. "Even though it is not in our blood to help outsiders, one and one's sisters shall aide this entity in _her_ journey."

Eriya and Merle nodded. "Whether it be for good, or for ill of one's own."

-

A man was crouched beside a cut tree trunk and was foraging the ground for trail marks. Another man noiselessly walked towards him and bent down beside him. "Find anything?" the silver-haired man asked.

The man in question held out a piece of fishbone. "It's still fresh, Dilandau."

Dilandau lifted his eyes and scanned the edges of the trees that enveloped them in the nearing darkness. His fiery eyes lit up as he caught sight of a few bonfire smoke columns rising in the distance. He grinned. "Miguel," he almost purred. "Somebody's gonna _burn_ tonight."

-

They reached their tiny hut in a hurry. Naria and Eriya went inside and fished out every possible carrying case they could possibly find. Merle barged in and lit up a candle in Hitomi's quarters, grabbing her things and other items that she might need in her travels.

"W-what's going on? What are you doing?" she asked, her voice finding her at last.

Eriya tossed Merle a fairly-sized deerskin bag. "Listen, young one, you must leave here at once."

Hitomi blinked. "W-what?" she almost shouted. "What about you?"

"One and one's sisters shall accompany you to the cave in the mountains." Naria said, jamming clothes into a bag.

The golden-haired Hitomi stared for a while. _Cave in the mountains. The cave that Ontrose wants me to find._ She stepped forward. "You'll come with me in the cave?"

Eriya stopped for a moment, regarding her with glinting eyes. "No, Hitomi," she sighed. "It is not our purpose to come with you on your journey. We are only meant to help pave you the way." She had but only noticed that Eriya had dropped the heavy accent when she mentioned that word "you".

"B-but I won't leave you!" she objected.

"Listen to us, Hitomi, this is what's supposed to be," Naria told her, her hands fell lightly on Hitomi's tense shoulders. "What Merle said back there in the hut was true. You are not an ordinary being. You were destined to do great things. But only _you_ can accomplish that. Not us."

Hitomi's eyes misted but she nodded reluctantly.

Merle skidded outside clutching the bag in her hand. "That's everything, I think." She huffed, eyes still red and nose quite stuffed. She looked at Hitomi. "I've seen that cave once when I was younger. It's not far from this place, Hitomi."

Eriya nodded and turned her attention to the shaking girl. "Merle will show you to the cave, Hitomi." Seeing the look in her eyes, she smiled. "Don't worry. Garaed will forgive us. He is not one to hold grudges."

Naria smiled at her also. "One thinks that he has also sensed it. There is a higher power that has been holding us to this place, as if telling us that something important shall happen here. Perhaps that is why even though this place seems so desolate, we have never thought of leaving."

Hitomi shed a tear. She _hated_ this. "I will miss you," she mumbled.

The twins smiled. "As we will miss _you_, destined angel and human," Eriya held her close for quite some time.

Naria smiled. "Now go, go now before the nigh—" she was cut off by a deafening boom as loud as a thunderclap and the screams and shrieks of the villagers outside.

"What's happening?" Merle asked. Suddenly, angry red and yellow flashes of light filled the air. Thick, heavy smoke seeped everywhere, choking everyone. The smell of ashes and smoldering wood filled the night air.

The village was burning!

"The whole village is on fire!" Hitomi exclaimed, her voice laden with fear, worry and panic. The hunters had finally found them.

Eriya gathered them all beside her. "Come, everyone! Let's hurry outside and find shelter!"

They nodded and went for the door. But another loud crash and explosion deafened their ears, and when they opened their eyes, they found that their doorway, the path leading outside as well as they rest of the house was engulfed in raging flame! "_No!_" Hitomi howled.

They clung to each other, panic very much evident on their faces. The scorching heat from the blazing inferno was leaching deep down to their very bones. The sickening odor of charred fur and flesh bit their nostrils. Obviously, a few of their kind had been burned alive. "Sister! What are we to do?" Naria shouted, her voice trembling.

Eriya squinted towards the blazing doorway. "If only we have water in this hut!" she screamed. She gathered her composure; her family needed her strength, she would _not_ fly apart. "There is still a chance to get out through the doorway, we just have to jump out fast enough!" she said.

Merle swiftly threw Hitomi's deerskin bag outside to test the flames. It went out the other way with only a few scorched places. "I'll try it first," she volunteered, and jumped into the roaring mouth of hell before anyone could protest.

"_Merle!_" Hitomi shouted, extending one roasting arm after her.

Silence.

A voice broke through the intense air. "Hi-Hitomi?" It was the kitten's voice. She survived!

"Merle!" Eriya shouted back. "Are you alright?"

Merle's face broke through the jagged flames of the doorway. She had a few spots of smoking fur, but she looked fine. She shielded her eyes with one arm as the fire was so intense that it blinded her eyes. "Eriya! Naria! Get out quickly before this fire fully engulfs this house!" she shouted hoarsely.

The twins nodded, and held each of Hitomi's shoulders. "We're sending Hitomi outside first!" Eriya said, and pushed Hitomi quickly before she could object.

With a surprised yelp, Hitomi shut her eyes and shielded her face with her crossed arms. She could feel the heat penetrating her clothes, her skin, her flesh. Her feathers were melting and curling themselves due to the extreme heat. Smoke filled her lungs and it rebelled and she coughed. She felt faint. She was sure that she was about to die that very instant.

Then strong arms grabbed her shoulders and pulled her outside. She smelt of burnt fur. Merle had helped her escape the burning hut. She peered and abruptly sat up. "Let's help your sisters," she said weakly.

Merle nodded and the two of them stood outside their smoldering hut. "Okay, who's next?" she shouted at the twins that were still left inside.

The roof groaned and heaved downwards. It was about to cave in. The twins nervously glanced upwards, both knowing that they have to escape now. Eriya turned to her younger half. "Naria, you're next." She instructed.

Naria nodded. "Follow quickly, Eriya." She nodded in her response, and Naria steeled her body for the shock of the heat she was about to encounter. She took a boost and jumped in.

Merle and Hitomi bent forward a few inches more to try and reach Naria a bit faster. From the swirling blaze that was in front of them, Merle could see Naria's face coming closer. "Grab my hand, Naria!" Hitomi shouted.

Naria, her eyes closed, heard Hitomi's voice and instantly held out her arm. It was inches before the girl's outstretched hand. Then, the ceiling groaned once more and finally caved in, burying her arm in a pile of burning wood and leaves.

"_Aaaaaaaaaaagh!_" Naria screamed, the searing pain making her eyes open only to be instantly blinded by the flames. She was pinned to the ground, unable to move. The piece of the roof that fell upon her was too heavy to even budge.

Merle and Hitomi scrambled, desperately trying to tug her out.

Eriya's voice broke through. "No Merle, no!" she snapped, lunging forward and grabbing hold of her twin sister's foot, pulled her towards her and held her tightly, laying her heavily-burned arm aside. "No Merle, no…" she tearfully said.

The doorway has been blocked. More of the roof fell downwards to further block any chance of escape. The only space that was left was a small square about the size of a head. From that minute space, Merle could see her sisters' faces huddled in the middle of the consuming fire. "No, Eriya! Try to jump out, try pushing the rubble!" she screamed, panic overpowering her.

Hitomi looked around to see if she could find anything to throw at the blockage. She threw rocks with all her might, but it was no use; the wood was just too heavy. Soon, tears were blinding her in her hopelessness, and she was throwing everything in sight. After she absently threw her deerskin bag that was instantly consumed by the fire, Merle held her middle from behind, weeping as well. "Stop it, Hitomi, stop it," she sobbed.

Despite the intense heat surrounding them, the twins' faces were surprisingly drenched with tears. Naria's eyes were closed—she had been blinded when she opened her eyes in the middle of that fiery maelstrom. "Merle, take care of Hitomi." Eriya gently instructed.

The two young women cried outside, Hitomi finding her voice. "Eriya! It's all my fault! It's all my fault!" she wailed.

"Hitomi, I knew for the first time that you are destined to bring this world to its end. You will end it in good health, or bring it to its ruin. Right then and there I've decided to aide you in any way. It is done, and you will survive. This is our fate. One will gladly accept this." Eriya smiled sadly.

Merle's shoulders shook and her hold of Hitomi slackened a bit. She let go and sank to the ground, her knees buckled under her weight.

"We trust in you Hitomi…" Said the ruby-eyed woman.

Naria managed to smile through her ordeal. "Merle, my little sister. Please take care of yourself," she whispered. "I love you,"

The last of the ceiling above the doorway crumbled, finally closing in on the twins' blazing tomb.

"Naria! Eriya!" Merle wailed. There was no answer; just the scornful sound of the fire blazing merrily before them. She closed her eyes bitterly, her fists clenched so hard her knuckles were white, and she pounded fiercely on the ground, yelling and screaming her lungs out in anguish.

The twins have retreated and curled to a corner of their hut, holding each other tightly. The flames were licking at their fur now; it was only a matter of time before they are turned into cinders.

Eriya stroked her sister's hair, and gently kissed her forehead. "One shall never leave you, beloved sister."

Naria smiled, and opened her now-white unseeing eyes. Like a miracle, she thought she could see her sister's form outlined with an almost heavenly blue haze. "And one shall never leave you, beloved sister."

Eriya smiled back and held her tightly, caught in each others' embrace, until the whole hut shuddered and collapsed, finally sealing their fate.

-

Somewhere along the way, Hitomi's knees failed her and she fell to the floor, panting and gasping for air. Her lungs burned; it was far too abused by the smoke and fire that had entered it a while back. Tears were still streaming down her eyes. She knew it was all too foolish to think so, but how could she not imagine that this is entirely her doing?

Merle glanced back, turned around and helped her on her feet. "Come on, Hitomi, you can do it," she said encouragingly in between sniffles. "The cave's not too much far; we'll make it there in time."

Hitomi nodded and ran on, not minding her body's screams of protest that she needed food and rest.

"My sisters asked me to take you there, and I will take you there, Hitomi," Merle said, gasping a little.

They were climbing out of a small valley quite a distance away from the burning village when they saw the small grotto hidden by the shadows of the trees and the mountain—and of something else. Hitomi knew there was something magical inside that cave; she heard herself inwardly take a sharp breath.

"That's the cave," Merle said, walking before her. "Come, I'll see you off,"

Hitomi nodded and followed until a cold arm yanked her from behind. She yelped with surprise, and she felt her arm being twisted back and her body banged close to that of another person. "Well, well, well, two rats want to escape," chuckled a cold male voice.

Hitomi took a glance to see the face above her. His skin was like alabaster; his hair was shining like silver. But what really made her blood freeze like ice were his eyes.

They were as red as blood. Just like the man she saw in her dreams.

His grip on her wrists was so tight that it hurt. "Let me _go_!" she hissed.

Merle turned around, and her face went deathly white. "_You_!" she snarled viciously and lunged at the man.

Dilandau violently tossed Hitomi aside, and she fell to the ground roughly. He parried off Merle's attacks with obvious amusement. "Ah, cat-people. My favorite firewood." He drawled.

Merle's emotions were costing her focus. "It was _you_! It was _you_ who burned my village! _Damn you!_" she growled loudly.

Dilandau chuckled, his teeth glistening like pearls under the moonlight. "I _knew_ there was one who escaped." He said as he dodged Merle's claws smoothly.

"_Damn you_! And now you have burned my new home and my new family! _Damn you!_" Merle howled, lunging herself foolishly.

"Merle, no!" Hitomi shouted, seeing the vulnerability of her attack.

In one fluid motion, Dilandau's eyes narrowed and he grinned. He twisted sideways to evade Merle's lunge, brought up a knee to connect with her stomach, and grabbed hold of her arms from behind, twisting it slightly.

Merle growled in pain.

"Merle!" Hitomi stood up, intent on fighting for her friend.

"No, Hitomi!" Merle said weakly, though her eyes were like burning ice. "Go! Go to the cave! Leave me here! I'll be right after you!" she needed to make her face as straight as possible.

Hitomi was uncertain. "Are you sure?"

Merle nodded while fidgeting to break free from the maniacally laughing Dilandau. "I'll be fine after I take care of this _monster_!" she even managed to smile. "Go, now! Before his men try and catch up!"

Hitomi nodded despite her awful feeling, tears falling down like rain. "Merle, I'll always remember you…"

"_Go, Hitomi, go!_" she shouted, and Hitomi turned around and ran with all her might, tears blinding her way. "Don't look back!" Merle shouted after her before she disappeared into the welcoming darkness.

"Don't look back…" Merle softly whispered and smiled. She could feel the cold blade kissing her back. She knew she had no way out, but she had to save Hitomi. It was the last thing that she could do.

Dilandau brushed his cheek against hers, and she felt herself shiver. In a swift moment, pain ebbed from her back, to her middle. She fell down to the earth, shivering as all went deathly cold. All she could hear was her own heartbeat; slowing their pounding, until all she could feel was a calmness that is so welcoming. For the first time, she gazed up at the sky with her half of human eyes. Men all over the world had gazed up at the heavens and adored the stars, but she had never really had time to look at them. She never really noticed that they were indeed beautiful. At that moment in time, Merle finally felt as if she was lying in the middle of Eden itself. She closed her eyes, a content smile on her lips. The pain was fading now. Everything was so peaceful…

A tear gently slid down her cheeks. _Naria, Eriya. I shall be with you again soon._

_Tsuzuku_

* * *

_Eriya blinked, she was caught off guard. She looked at Hitomi with warm and tender eyes. The next instant she was holding the honey-haired woman tightly as she crouched next to her. "Just remember, child. A paradise that exists somewhere beyond the reach of those who were intended to inherit it is just a _lie_. That is not _your_ sanctuary, it is just an illusion. If the place _you_ so _desperately_ long for has hurt _you_ this much, then it is not _real._"_

_She held her at arm's length and gazed at her cool emerald eyes. "Look with _your_ human heart, Hitomi, not with _your_ human eyes. Then for sure… the paradise that _you_ so long for… the paradise that _you've_ been searching for… will be real."_

* * *

_January 1, 2005  
__-In Memoriam-_

_Francis,_

_I never though there'd come a day that I'd write this for you. This is the hardest thing that I've ever done. You're not supposed to leave; you're supposed to be here, with all of us, here with me this summer. We'd play PS2 and Lord of the Rings like you promised. We'd grow up and be the godparents of our children. But I guess that can never happen now..._

_If only I knew that you'd leave me that very moment, I would have told you all the things that I wanted to say. I wanted to tell you, that I'm sorry for deleting your save files in my computer; I'm sorry for not helping you level-up in Ragnarok... sorry for not being able to help..._

_I wish that I had betrayed the nurses at the ICCU. I wish that instead of standing there outside, just watching while your life slipped away to the illness that finally took you, I wish that I'd come inside and held you tight. I wish that I could have eased your suffering. I wish that you were still here. I wish that I could have said I love you..._

_Remember what you asked of me? You asked me if I could pray for you. Silly thing, I always pray for you. That was your last wish. That was the last time that I'll hear your voice. But just to let you know, I kept my word._

_I know that we'll see each other again. I just know. When that day comes, I don't know if I'll still cry or I'll just laugh, but I shall wait for that day. Time was cruel for the both of us; it never gave us that much time together. But someday, we shall see each other again. Until that day comes, until that moment comes, I'll be content in seeing you in my dreams. I'll be content in telling you how I've missed you so much, how I wish you're still here with us everyday. But until the day when we shall see each other again, rest easy, my friend..._

_...I shall miss you always..._

_Your cousin and adoptive sister,  
__Lee_


	8. Secrets, Shame, Sacrifice

_Ojamashimasu!_

_Reporting in (late) for duty! March is a very pleasant month to be living here in the tropical islands of the Philippines, ne? It's so full of pool parties and overnight stays at hot springs and week-long reposes at gorgeous beaches... of course, it _does_ tend to cut down on one's writing opportunities, hehehe... that was a lousy excuse, ne?_

_Last chapter was... dramatic, wasn't it? I have this irrational inclination towards angst-ridden, tragedy-stricken love-conquers-all romance. (Rolls eyes) Story of my life... and I'm sure of most of us, as well. Can't live without all that spice now, right? But I think it also has to do with my very close cousin, who died at so young an age last New Year's Day. I still grieve for his loss; I do so everyday. And it seems strange; how such things you've shrugged off before hold so much importance now. The age-old adage is true; you only see someone's worth when they are gone._

_Did everyone skip through the cat congregation? I apologize for the made-up language. I have very little knowledge in linguistics. I had to make up an entire lexicon on the spot. It sounds absolutely terrible, though, doesn't it?_

_Alright, enough about that. On to review replies! First on the list goes on to _**Tramie-chan**_ Thank you _so _much for reading. Van will _always _be cute. Though the level of cuteness will mature as he does. Ohohohoho! I almost made you cry, eh? Wow! My ego boosted up a wee bit (a couple of centimeters, actually). Gloat. Alright, I'll stop; it's not very attractive (sheepish grin). Thank you! You've made my day!_

**Wink-sama**_! Once again, thanks for the review! Can't say a chapter is finished without your official approval. Hehehe. You understand cat language now, can you? Sweet. Eriya and Naria's psycho abilities must have been leaching out of the screen (grins). I hoped you like the piece; I hoped it moved you._

_Last on my shout-outs goes to _**Macky-san**_. I've thought about that turn of events for quite some time before writing last chapter (about two weeks, four days, 17 hours and, uh, about so-and-so seconds. But you get the point). I've debated with myself about it for extended periods (earning me a few weird looks from my family, bless them, they think their daughter is now deranged), because I like Merle very much. But the thing is, she wouldn't survive very much longer if I let her live. Sad to say, Dilandau is still on the loose, and his bloodlust shall obviously continue. And she cannot accompany Hitomi, for reasons I'm sure you'll see a bit later on this chapter. And, I thought it'd be even harsher to let her live alone. I know, I know, life is good and all that, but the poor dear's lost _two_ families already. Isn't once enough?_

_Thanks for the questions and patience. It keeps me writing! (Toothy smile) Here's next chapter to you all, shedding a little bit more light on Van's past. Hai, douzo!_

_**Sadame-chan  
**__**260305**_

_

* * *

_

_Chapter Seven:  
__Secrets, Shame, Sacrifice_

The whole world was in glorious silence. It was one of those perfect, picturesque evenings that came all-too infrequently. It was when the stars would come out and cast a warm glow on the trees, and the slow-moving wind seemed to sigh as it passed by, leaving behind a cool blanket on its trail. It was when the moon would show off her regal splendor and beauty, taking her time as she inched her way leisurely towards her vantage point along the horizon. It was when the very threads of time itself stood still to paint a lovely scenario on this most blessed of nights. It was when all creatures, all manner of life, mortal or immortal, took their time to look up and gaze in awe and majesty at the milky darkness of the heavens that smiled benevolently down on the earth below.

All, that is, except for two people held in time by the very heavens themselves.

"Do you honestly _believe_ that you're going to escape?" the low voice almost drawled. The voice belonged to a man, tall, lean, and strikingly vicious—as striking as his silver-shot hair that almost glowed in that forest.

The recipient of the question gasped. In contrast to him, she was a female, quite tall but with a petite frame, childishly innocent and, right now, very much afraid. She quickened her pace; widened the distance her legs could possibly manage. She was running so fast, her messy, shoulder-length sandy-colored hair trailed along behind her as if on fire.

_Fire._ A few moments ago, everything very much dear to her caught flame and burned down to nothing but ashes. She thought she had finally found a place to belong, but it was unkindly wrenched from her in an instant. Her newfound home. Her newfound friends. _Her newfound family._

Her eyes misted. She could still smell Merle's distinct scent—the scent of summer rains mixed with warm, earthy spices. She could still hear their voices at the back of her mind. Their lilting brogue, their thick accent, the sound of their laughter on cool breezy nights. Everything happened too fast for her; it all simply ended too soon. She barely knew them, and yet knew so much in that short period. In that short time, she had learned to love them.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…" the malicious man crooned coaxingly. The still-grieving woman wiped the threatening tears with the back of her hand. She sniffed—quietly—and pushed her personal sorrow back for a while, pushing herself even more so in the process. Her whole body—no, her whole _being_—ached, but she simply ignored her mind and body's screams of protest for sleep and rest. She continued to run, although the irony of the situation probably escaped her. The last time she ran this far and this fast, she had been desperately chasing an angel that fleeted above her on the mountains. Now it was the other way around; now, she was the one desperately running away from the dangerous man that was stubbornly chasing her.

Deeper and deeper into the primeval forest she ran. Closer and closer to the destined grotto. Her heart was pounding violently—a mixture of fear and rushing adrenaline—and her breathing came in short, ragged breaths. She was about half a league away from the cave when she missed a protruding root underneath her, and she tripped, connecting with the dry, dusty ground hard.

She yelped instinctively, but she managed to bite back her tongue to muffle the sound… or _did_ she? Somewhere, a young man in search of his prey gave vent to a particularly hideous cackle, causing the honey-haired female to panic.

She stood up, trembling, and swallowed another yelp as she limped and leaned on the rough trunk of a tree. The fall scraped her legs and arms, and a few wounds on her palms, elbows, and knees were oozing blood. She took a moment to catch her breath, gritting her teeth throughout the throbbing sensations. After about a hundred heartbeats, she moved on, slowly at first, then gradually picking up speed. Enduring the stinging pain, soon, she was on a dead run again.

For Hitomi, running for her life clearly was not an option.

It was the _only_ solution.

- - -

Somewhere, in another part of the world, an angel was also worried about being caught.

"That was close," Kamion murmured, his back pressed up against a wall. His head was cocked to his side; warm cheek kissing the cold stone wall. He had been walking stealthily along the musty corridors, away from the busier parts of the castle. He prudently watched guard at every turn for any passing angels. He didn't want to get caught drifting about the darker regions of the castle at this time of night. And yet, Kamion still couldn't quite place himself; he was bearing a purpose that kept nagging at his conscience that he was committing a sin.

"I should have not permitted myself into doing this," he muttered darkly to himself, shaking his head in resignation. Then he laughed a rueful little laugh. "Had my dear friend Ontrose been here with me, surely he'd have this wide grin on his face, e'en as he wilt tell me, that he is finding this kind of conspiratorial snooping around utterly delightful." He sighed, and a look of unspeakable regret briefly crossed his eyes. Had certain things not happened, his beloved friend and brother would still be with him now, sharing philosophical discussions and beating him at mock swordfights. And he would still be complete; unlike the hollow, almost lifeless soul that he had become as a result of his treason towards his most trusted friend and kinsman.

Kamion sighed again, deeper this time; making his private ruminations go away. Collecting himself, he looked cautiously this way and that, and silently slipped towards the dark corridor.

He stopped abruptly in front of a shadowed, eerie-looking door. Gold chains twisted their way around the ornate wood, and a massive lock stood guard against trespassers and unwelcome eyes peering for a look.

Fortunately—or _un_-fortunately—Kamion was in such a position that enabled him to get hold of every single pass, key and entrance in the entire citadel. He fished out the jingling large ring of keys from his tunic's pocket, singled-out the rusty, slender key that would open the lock, jabbed it smoothly into the hole, and took a deep breath. "Right about now, I have violated at least a thousand and one rules that I could think of." He shook his head with a slight smile. "Though, candor compels me to admit, I do confess that I find this kind of mischief… _exhilarating_." He twisted the key and the lock came free, the gold chains grated noisily as they slid to the floor. He opened the looming door before him to reveal an even darker room inside. "Wonderful idea, Kamion, my good man," he berated himself. "Capital! All those years of loyal servitude and now you think that sneaking inside the forbidden selections is _exhilarating_," he muttered hoarsely with heavy distaste.

Finally realizing that he was inside, he blinked several times in the engulfing darkness. His nose itched from inhaling the thick layer of dust that was disturbed by his careful footsteps. He groped the wall beside the door for the customary torch that was supposed to be there, reached into his tunic's pocket, and lit it with his tinderbox.

From the ruddy glow of his torchlight, Kamion could quite clearly see the whole room covered with shelves of old books, huge maps of ancient constellations and star patterns, and tables upon tables laden with oversized scrolls, moth-eaten feather quills, dried-up bottles of smeary ink, used candles with long trails of hardened wax, and various other small, curious instruments scattered on the tabletops.

Kamion looked around, not knowing where to begin.

He loitered instead, wandered around aimlessly, scanning the shelves, picking up books and tracing his finger along the edges of the dusty, vintage tables. The wealth—and secrets—hidden inside this room was positively overwhelming, and it overwhelmed him enough to temporarily forget that he really was not supposed to be there.

It was quite some time during his perusal—an hour and a half past, actually—when a certain book—a blue one—at the farthest shelf in the back of the room caught his eye. It was no different than the other books; it was not specially marked or hidden or pushed back into the shelf. The only real difference it had from all the others was the thing that was loosely wounded around its hardbound cover.

It was a silver necklace, with a smooth, rounded pendant that was as red as blood.

His eyebrows knit in curiosity and confusion, he placed the torch in the nearest holder and took out the heavy volume with his two hands. He coughed a bit in the resulting cloud of dust, sneezed a couple of times and sniffed. He walked to the nearest table, rolled the crackling parchments and stacked them neatly to one side. Having cleared the table, he sat himself down in front of the book that lay before him.

He sat still for a moment, not moving a hair, just staring at the blue tome. Then, with a puff of air, he carefully untangled the silver necklace, laid it aside, and took a deep breath.

_This is it, Kamion, there is no turning back._

He opened the hardbound cover, and began reading about her.

_She was the most dangerous angel ever created in paradise._

- - -

"Give up now, girl, you're just wasting your energy." Dilandau chuckled, bare teeth flashing in the moonlight. He was closing in on her, Hitomi knew, but what actually made her almost mad was that she was running with everything she's got, and there's absolutely _nothing_ else she could do.

She was running out of time.

Dilandau crept, making wide sweeps with his whispering sword through the underbrush. "_Little girl, little girl, with lovely gold curls. Where she goes, where she goes, nobody knows..._" he sang loudly, making Hitomi panic even more desperately. The sound of his voice was bad enough as to make her spine tingle, but the fact that it was no more than a hundred yards away from her didn't reassure her, either.

Her chest would almost burst. Feeling a little bit lightheaded, she panted heavily, trying to ease her nervousness with deep breaths, all the while Dilandau kept singing his song.

"_...and when I find her, and when I find her on this moonlit night, I shall hold her, I shall hold her tight. For this little girl, little girl with lovely gold curls, she does know that I love her so, I love her..._" he trailed off, his sword stopping in mid-swing. Dilandau squinted and bent his neck lower to the ground to examine something that caught his attention. He sheathed his sword, making sure he was being very careful to not make any loud noises. His long, almost delicate fingers traced the splinters on the gnarled tree root that was protruding underneath him. The fresh scent of its resinous substance permeating from the snapped root strongly suggested that it all just happened minutes ago.

Dilandau felt the damp ground with his palm. The canopies high above them obscured even the faintest hint of starlight, and it was quite impossible to see of any footsteps his prey might have left behind for him to follow. But the slight indentations he felt on his experienced hands told him that she _had_, in fact, been here, probably five, ten minutes ago.

He grinned with an almost unholy joy. He laughed; piercing, menacing. He stood up and took out his sword, his fingers finding comfort holding it. He had found her at last, and Hitomi knew that he was very near to him now.

"Miguel, Chesta! Follow the marker. She's right here," he drawled out loud, his sudden rush of bloodlust exquisitely hidden in that almost bored voice. He drew a flare from his pocket, lit it, and tossed it high above his head, where it exploded and blazed like a miniature sun, bathing the whole forest with an ethereal, creepy red light.

Hitomi's heart pounded faster. She dared to look back, and she could see the faint outlines of the red-stained silver-haired man not too far from her, along with Miguel and Chesta, who were fast approaching their insane leader.

Hitomi silently prayed that she could make it in time. Her legs were starting to give up on her. She cupped one hand and clamped it over her mouth, ducking branches and leaping over roots, making as little noise as possible.

As she rounded an unused deer trail, Hitomi saw for the first time the cave that Ontrose, Merle and her sisters had been persistent for her to see. The very same cave that all of them gave up their lives for. It was fairly small; just enough for one person to enter at a time. The darkness from the obscuring trees around it was so thick that it could be cut with a knife, but it seemed to her as though the cave itself _emanated_ darkness.

Hitomi stared gaping at the grot, and an apprehensive chill came unto her as she did. Something dreadful was going to happen inside that cave.

Hitomi's awareness returned to her when a twig was snapped from behind her. "There you are, you pesky little rat," Dilandau said casually, his sword gleaming very much like his silver hair.

Hitomi spun around, and she came face-to-face with the tall, pale man who was responsible for murdering her entire family. Her eyes widened in shock and horror, an emotion contributed by this encounter, no doubt, but more so by the realization of the sandy-haired girl that she could not move even an inch.

Dilandau grinned menacingly at her.

Hitomi gulped, and willed herself to do something—_anything_!

"Don't worry, it'll be quick," the man assured her, still grinning.

When she saw Dilandau raise that awful sword, her reflexes snapped, her will for survival overpowering her. She elbowed his stomach, putting in as much weight as possible. Dilandau let out an angry roar as he bent and clutched at his middle. Seeing the opportunity, Hitomi spun quickly and ran, just as Miguel and Chesta came sprinting out of the bushes.

"Boss!" Miguel said, quickly helping his leader to his feet. "Are y' okay?"

Dilandau, wincing, rolled back and punched him squarely in the face. "Stupid fool! Go after her!" he roared.

Reeling, Miguel did as he was told, followed by a silently snickering Chesta.

Dilandau stood up straight, hate and malice burning afire in his eyes. "Filthy bitch," he hissed, his grip on his sword tightening. "She'll pay for this. I'll personally see to that."

Hitomi ran along the deer trail. She was not very far from the grot now. Having that thought about her, it gave her an extra surge of energy and courage. She ran ahead, not trusting herself to look behind her for her pursuers.

She was about fifteen feet from the veiled entrance when an evil-looking dirk whizzed past her, leaving a nice, deep gash in her left leg.

Hitomi gave a surprised cry as bright blood gushed forth from the neat slice. Her leg, as if a tightly-wound coil sprung free, released all that pent-up stress and energy and lost all momentum and control. At first it trembled. Then it wobbled. By the time her legs were rocking violently from severe exhaustion, another dagger flew very close by, missing her head by mere centimeters.

Chesta snapped his fingers. "Damn, I missed!" he spat, swearing.

Dilandau had caught up with him and he smacked him smartly on the back of his head. "You _idiot_! I told you to go after her, not _kill_ her!" He fixed a menacing stare at Miguel who was jogging a few feet in front of them. "Do whatever you want to pin her down, but _don't _kill her," he hissed. He pointed a finger at the nodding Miguel. "Remember, _she's mine_," he grated through clenched teeth and ran before them.

The two men nodded gravely, and scratched at their heads when Dilandau was out of earshot anymore. "Th' boss' seems t' be out o' sorts t'night," Miguel whined lowly when Chesta had caught up with him.

Chesta nodded. "Must've been something he ate," he shrugged. The he grinned slyly at his comrade. "You should've seen him when he got dead drunk."

Miguel made a face. "Don't remind me. He spent th' good half o' th' night hackin' an' slashin' wi' his sword an' settin' th' whole blasted forest on fire." He shuddered. "It still gives me th' nightmares, don't y' know."

Chesta's shoulders shook with laughter at his comrade's pronouncement. "Are the two of you going to run faster, or do you want me to flog you from behind to make you?" came Dilandau's irritated voice from before them.

The two stopped abruptly, trying their very best to conceal the smile on their faces. "Yes, boss!" they shouted in unison.

Hitomi was limping badly. She couldn't control her shaking anymore. When she heard Dilandau stomping through a dense thorny bush, she gasped and turned around, eyes wide in panic.

His eyes were wide, the pupils dilated in what could only be called insanity. He was breathing heavily, his chest and shoulders rising with each gulp of air. His shirt and pants were torn, and he was bloodied as the result of his wrangling with the thorn bush, but he didn't seem to mind.

Upon seeing Hitomi's frightened stare, his angry snarl slowly turned into a cruel grin. He ran his fingers through his sparkling hair with a chuckle. As he advanced towards her, his hand left his hair to massage his middle. "You hit me here," he grinned. "I think it's only fitting that I return the favor, don't you?"

Hitomi had on occasion seen a rabbit or another rodent about to be caught by a snake. The prey knows that the snake is about to attack, but he can't do anything about it. Her current condition right now is very much the same. She knows that there is this insane man bent on killing her that was standing right before her eyes, but she can't do anything but stare back. She couldn't even manage to squeak; his will was too crushing.

Dilandau's grin grew even wider. Miguel and Chesta had caught up by then, and they were resting not too far away from them, both grinning as well. Their boss raised that awful sword of his, eyes burning in wicked delight.

Using the very last traces of energy left within her, Hitomi's legs responded in a way that they should: they buckled. Hitomi fell backwards, landing on her bottom, her whole body trembling not only from exhaustion, but from panic-driven fear.

Dilandau crowed. He swiftly struck down his sword, slicing Hitomi's right thigh. He deliberately made himself miss. It seems to give him some sort of foul entertainment, for some obscure reason.

Hitomi covered the shallow gash with a trembling hand. She was now able to utter a pathetic whimper. She was also able to crawl backwards—not the most admirable or fastest means of escape, but the mere fact that she could do it was an accomplishment in itself.

Dilandau laughed that cruel laugh once again, raising his sword higher. He continued thrashing about her, hitting the ground only but a few centimeters away from her exposed flesh. "Isn't this fun?" he chortled gleefully.

Hitomi said nothing, but continued her slow withdrawal.

Nobody knew exactly who it was among them that first noticed that they were in a different territory. For Miguel and Chesta, who were both watching at a safe distance, it was an uncanny feeling pronounced by the majority of the stars that almost seemed to gather upon the general vicinity of the cave, and the sparse birch and pine trees surrounding the mountain.

Miguel's eyes were unfocused, wary. He nudged his grinning friend at his side. "What?" Chesta asked, exasperated.

Miguel whispered nervously. "Don't y' find all this a wee bit… different?"

Chesta looked around, unsure.

"Even though there be trees about, everything looks so… _dead_," he shivered.

"Now that you mention it... I don't see any birds, or squirrels, for that matter," Chesta agreed, then he made a face. "It _does_ look a little dead, doesn't it?"

"A whole lot deader, if y' ask me," Miguel shuddered. "I wish th' boss would hurry up on it a bit. Bein' on this part o' th' woods ain't my idea o' fun, don't y' know."

"I doubt it," Chesta shook his head. Dilandau's maniacal laughter can still be heard echoing throughout the strange woods. "He's having too much fun for himself. If you want to go _that_ bad, why don't you tap him on the shoulder and tell him yourself?" he shrugged.

"Are y' crazy!" Miguel asked incredulously. "He'll run that sword o' his on me belly 'fore killin' 'er. I've done some fairly stupid things 'fore, but tellin' th' boss what t' do ain't gonna be one o' 'em, that's fer sure."

Dilandau continued his advance, slashing at the speechless girl on the ground. He was toying with her; deliberately missing his swings just so he could unnerve her. He gave her nicks and cuts every now and then just to remind her that he means business.

He stopped laughing, but a wide, hideous grin remained plastered onto his face. He was at a fevered pitch by now; his blood flowing with a heightened ecstasy that he can't control anymore. He was breathing rapidly as he raised his sword high above his head. He reversed his grip on it, holding the hilt with his both hands, the sword's point atop Hitomi's belly.

She scrambled a little bit faster.

"What's the matter? Don't you want to be with your family a little sooner?" he scoffed. "I'm giving you the favor of delivering the fastest route."

She whimpered, shaking her head violently. This sent Dilandau roaring with laughter.

Dilandau stopped laughing, an evil glint on his eyes. He breathed deep and hard, and struck Hitomi with all his force.

Reflexes finally kicking in, Hitomi rolled to her side, but was caught with the whisper of the sword at her side. A shallow cut resulted, her blood being soaked by the plain grey blouse she was wearing.

She rolled and returned on her back, heaving. The bulk of her wings on her back made everything difficult. Bullets of seat were forming on her forehead. She slowly inched backwards and found the support of a pine trunk. She glanced behind her. The cave entrance was no more than a few feet away.

Dilandau grinned. He licked his lips and raised his sword again.

He stopped in mid-swing. His eyes grew large—but without that malicious glint. It was replaced by something else; something totally alien in Dilandau's nature. His sword still short of hitting Hitomi, he looked about, then sharply turned his head behind him, his eyes unfocused, as if searching for something. His mouth hung open, and his hands were slightly trembling.

Miguel and Chesta looked quizzically at each other. Why had he stopped? He was so close to killing her, and Dilandau was _not_ a person to waste a good opportunity to kill someone.

Especially that this someone was an angel.

They tentatively walked towards their leader, who was still looking about him sharply.

Lastly, Dilandau spun his head and looked down upon Hitomi, his eyes almost seeming afraid. His eyes darted from her to the shrouded entrance, then back at the cowering angel. He muttered something under his breath, slowly lowered his sword and took a step back.

Hitomi breathed in. She was surprised, but relieved at the same time.

The silver-haired man gulped and quickly sheathed his sword. "Miguel, Chesta, let's go back."

_That_ startled his henchmen. "W-What did y' say, boss?" Miguel sputtered.

"I said let's go back!" Dilandau snapped at him. He turned around and walked away.

The two looked at each other but said nothing.

"Um, boss," Chesta tried very carefully. "What about her?" he asked, jerking his thumb in Hitomi's general direction.

"Leave her," he answered tersely.

"What?" Miguel blurted. "B-but boss!"

"I said leave her!" Dilandau fumed, turning around sharply and facing Miguel. "We're going back to the camp," he continued. "We ride northwest on the next light." He wheeled around and stalked away, leaving Chesta baffled and Miguel scratching at his head.

Chesta jogged and approached his leader even more carefully. "Um, boss," he tried again. "What made you go change your mind?"

A look of pure annoyance flickered in Dilandau's eyes, and he glanced sideways at him. After a few silent moments, he slowed his pace considerably, his lips pursed and his face stern.

"Boss?" Chesta asked softly, quite afraid.

Finally Dilandau stopped. His eyes were lost on some unimaginable place. "Something stopped me," he said simply, not the faintest of edge evident in his voice.

Chesta answered him with a puzzled face.

Dilandau sighed, and raked his fingers through his silver hair. "There was something different about that place. It was like there was some kind of dreadful power that was holding it. It was so powerful that I could almost slice through it."

Chesta nodded just as Miguel came jogging in. "Miguel and I sensed it, too. He said that the place looked dead, that there seemed to be no life in there."

Dilandau nodded wearily. "Even the wind dared not enter that place. Didn't you notice that there wasn't a murmur of a sound?" he sighed. "I was wondering why I didn't feel it earlier," a questioning look was etched all over his face. "Why isn't she affected? Is it because she's an angel?" he murmured.

Miguel's eyes grew wide. "An' angel? Like, fer _real_!"

Dilandau gave him a disgusted look.

Chesta butted in. "So, what are you planning to do now, boss? Are you just going to let her get away?"

They started walking again. "Like I said, we ride northwest the next light comes. There's really nothing we can do about her. I got the feeling that nobody's supposed to enter that place if they're not invited," a slow smile crept upon his face. "Besides, I'm _very_ sure that whatever it is that's waiting for her inside that cave will take care of everything. Try not to think about it so much, boys. She won't get out of there alive. I can feel it."

The two was left at some distance behind to discuss their thoughts.

Miguel was shaking his head. "An' angel, an' he was 'bout t' kill 'er, too!" he snorted by way of laughter. "Dilandau's one crazy boyo."

Chesta was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Inside that cave, eh? Wonder if the boss will like to go and have a look."

Miguel shook his head some more. "An' aren't y' th' foolish boyo t' say so?" he laughed. "Dilandau's crazy, but not _that_ crazy."

Having the men's voices slowly dissipated around her, Hitomi sighed as her world became peaceful again. Clots have blocked her wounds, though they still sting and needed to be bandaged. She slumped and leaned her head back on the rough trunk, content in only listening to the drowning rhythm of her heart. Now that she had time to rest a bit, it _did_ seem to be a whole lot quite in that part of the world. But she didn't care; she was not very far from the cave and her attackers are gone.

Hitomi, on the edge of deep slumber, have only but noticed a sad, ethereal murmuring sound that had been singing softly since she first caught sight of the cave in the mountains.

- - -

_It has happened, I'm afraid._

_I cannot do anything about it anymore. Father had his mind all set about the whole thing. Nobody then could alter his decisions—not even me, even though he's the one who sired me. Of course, that didn't stop me from trying. I'd politely refute his ideas and enumerate such effects it would cause. Father was a good man, he listened to everything I said. He'd never change his mind, but at least he'd listen._

_I don't really know all the details behind that situation. I was patrolling down below and just went home only to find the palace in uproar. Father had been upset about something and he decided to take steps to at least make light on the possible injustice that had been made. I wasn't entirely listening to their discussions. About all that I could make of was that someone wasn't doing his duty and someone had a fate that they totally did not deserve, and that the end result would certainly cause pain to the one who was given injustice to. I came into the throne room just in time to see father smoldering up to his ears. Everybody was cowering before him. It was such a rare sight that I had to crack a polite smile._

_Father was terribly upset about it, I recall. I'd pass by the library at night when I would patrol and see him still up and brooding over a star chart. Then one day, as I rather thought he'd might, he caught me in an empty corridor and asked my opinion about his idea._

_I thought my father had too many nights without sleep._

"_Well, my son, what thinkest thou of mine proposal?" he asked me._

_I had to lay it to him gently. "Father, if thou should forgive me for saying so, I think that thy proposal is the paramount absurdity in the whole world—nay, the universe." I think that one didn't go too well._

_Father frowned. "Prithee, tell me why."_

"_For one thing, Father, it's not really your problem," I said lightly then, not bothering with his accustomed tongue._

_He sighed a weary sigh. "I don't think so, my son. She didn't truly deserve the fate that was given her. I was too preoccupied with something else that I failed to see the warning in the sky."_

_I knew all too well who it was that got him preoccupied, but I thought it'd be best not to say anything about it at that time. "All the more you should abandon it, Father. It was the guardian's fault why it happened, not yours."_

_He shook his head again. "That just makes me doubly at fault. It seems as if I didn't teach my sons to take their responsibilities better." He sighed. "There is nothing better I can think of to appease her than the one I already have."_

"_I believe sparing her life was all the reward she needed, Father," I tried again._

_He shook his head some more, and I know that I have, as always, lost to his will. "Nay, my son. She deserves more, much more. I know that it is not much, but I do pray that it shall be enough to repay her for the ghastly failure your father and your brothers have done."_

_It pains me whenever I see him like that. "You were never a failure, father. You just had a little mistake, that's all."_

_He smiled a sad little smile. "We aren't permitted to make mistakes, my son. That is why we are angels." And he walked away._

_I shook my head in resignation as he faded away to the ritual sanctum. I respected my father, I truly do. His devotion to his job and us, his sons, is more than commendable, but sometimes he takes it to extremes. I told him of innumerable consequences his willful plan would give, but his stubbornness about the matter surpassed even his previous ones. Giving a child that kind of special gift that almost binds it to the heavens is more than a little dangerous, I think. He seemed very enthusiastic about the whole thing, though. And I, the good son that I am, will, as always, obey my father's wishes._

_Not too long afterwards, father's special child was born. I was there when it happened, and I also witnessed her first cry announcing to the whole world that she had been born. She looked so ordinary, so like a normal human being, but her eyes were that of a hue that was greener than any vale or carpet of grass that can be found down on earth, or here on Gaea._

- - -

Dark lashes fluttered softly to reveal a pair of misty green orbs greeting the dark woods around them. Hitomi straightened up, massaging her neck, and yawned. She blinked a few times, adjusting her eyes to the faint light. She was still exhausted, having been the center of action for quite some time, and having nothing near ample sleep as of yet.

Hitomi stood up with some difficulty. Her wounds, though have started to clot, break up easily when she moved and began to ooze blood again. She felt sharp stings all over her body, and she felt a few more wounds she didn't know she had before. She grated her teeth and limped on, holding onto trees for support.

And she heard it again. When she was very near to sleep due to exhaustion, she thought it was something like a soft murmur of a sound, but now that she had rested a bit, and there were no other noises about, Hitomi could quite clearly hear the slow, aching song that seemed to echo throughout the air. Puzzled, Hitomi constantly looked about her, looking around to see if there was a girl somewhere that could be the source of this almost unearthly melody. Try she might, though, she didn't find anyone among those trees who could be the source of that song.

As she neared the grot, however, Hitomi could hear the song getting louder and more pronounced. It wasn't overt; truly, the song seemed hushed and faraway still, but it got considerably louder as the honey-haired girl reached the foreboding grotto.

Hitomi found herself standing in front of the cave. She stopped momentarily, a little apprehensive as to what was awaiting her inside. Ontrose had told her that the prince of all the angels was inside that cave. Hitomi didn't _know_ who the prince was, much less what he was doing inside an evil-looking cave, but she felt implied to go inside. Indeed, it would seem a lot of waste on Merle, Naria, Eriya, and Ontrose's lives if she were to go back now.

Gulping hard, Hitomi reached forth to the help of the cave's mouth, leaning on it for support. Hitomi gasped as she found her palm and fingers numb upon touching the rough stone. Squelching up her fears before they got the better of her, she quickly entered, feeling at once the overwhelming presence emanating from deep within its labyrinthine passages.

From the roughly cut stones along its walls, Hitomi got the distinct impression that these passages were not manmade. The woods outside had been dark, almost as dark as the forest before it, but this cave _breeds_ a new kind of darkness. Though it is quite true that the very walls of the cave gave off a phosphorescent kind of glow, there was still a sense of darkness that hangs in the air. The paths twisted this way and that, sometimes forking over four or five different courses. Anyone who came inside the cave—if they can get past the unannounced barrier among the woods—would certainly end up wandering through this maze for all eternity.

However, Hitomi was following some very obscure directions so she wouldn't get mislaid. She was following a voice—or, more particularly, a song. It was the same song that she had been unconsciously hearing since she first caught sight of the cave. Hitomi steered through the dizzying maze, guided by the direction of the ethereal voice that filled her entire awareness with its song. And so, even without knowing why, Hitomi was quite sure that she would not get lost inside that cave.

Hitomi limped along in silence, her hands constantly seeking the help of the rough wall. Rats scurried along with her, gazing at her with quizzical apprehension. When she glanced upwards, there were tiny dots winking at her from above, as bats roost at the ceiling of this underground tunnel. Sometimes the paths would take her to large caverns, where water trickled down one wall like a small waterfall. The water would drop softly into a shallow underground lake, and its tinkling note would echo endlessly inside the caverns, making it seem like a large, underground cathedral.

As she rounded a corner to wherever it was the voice was taking her, Hitomi saw from the boulders that were littered about the dust-laden bumpy floor that she was trekking through the deepest parts of the caves. After squeezing through a very narrow hole in the wall, the sandy-haired mortal knew that she was on unfamiliar ground.

The low-ceilinged room inside had that musty smell hanging on the air around her, and Hitomi wrinkled her nose at it. She knew by now that the walls glowed with that phosphorescent kind of light, but the walls on _this_ cave seemed to almost _absorb_ light, not exuding like the others outside. The room was quite spacious—as compared to the other grottos she had passed through—and as she walked towards the farthest wall, she seemed to see a faint aura of darkness emanating from it, as if showing her the source of the whole mountain's eerie atmosphere. The airy song that was endlessly repeated in her ears swelled into an echoing glorious crescendo, ringing louder than ever. In that instant Hitomi knew: she had found the place.

The prince stirred in his sleep, the shackles that bound him to his eternal prison clinking slightly. Hitomi visibly started at the sound of rattling chains and tired groans. She approached the source very carefully.

The shadows were lifted, and the moment her eyes fell upon the tall man with muscled, tanned skin slumped along the back wall, the exulting chorus of the song abruptly stopped, encasing her in silence. His head was bowed, his legs stretched out before him, and his hands were bound by silver chains that refracted the darkness into fragments of rainbows. Hitomi's eyebrows twisted in thought. _Is _this_ the prince that Ontrose had spoken of?_

The man stirred, his head slowly lifted to view his visitor. He was in some obscure kind of pain. Realizing this, Hitomi blinked twice and ran beside him and knelt, helping him lift his heavy burden. "Are you alright?" she asked. Then, as if realizing the informality in her question, she blushed. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "I should have been more respectful, your Highness."

The prince groaned as he lifted his head, his eyes still closed. Hitomi's face twisted in thought, wincing also from the sharp pang behind her. She remembered that face. Blue hair, eyes with the same brewing cinnamon color, he was the angel that helped the two of them escape the Elder's wrath before.

"I'm perfectly fine, Hitomi," he smiled weakly. "Welcome to my prison." He looked at her intently, his black wings glistening in the dark. "Do you remember me?"

Ignoring the pain from her softly glowing wings, the honey-haired girl in question nodded. "Lord Folken."

- - -

"_Folken! Folken!" he shouted. Well... he _said_ he was shouting. I really didn't hear him that time, though._

"_Folken!" he basically shrieked, tugging at my cape. "I've been calling you since like... _forever_!"_

_I turned to him and smiled. Yes, yes... every angel feared me and I wanted to scare the lot of them, anyway, but I can't help it. Van has that kind of power towards me. "Forgive me, my brother," I said as calmly as I could. I _did_ have a reputation to take care of. "I didn't hear you when you called."_

"_Well, you'd better clean your ears, then!" he said angrily, shaking his little fist at me. I had to control a chuckle. Van looked so cute when he did that (I have to hide this journal into a better place now. If Van finds this and reads that I just called him cute, he'd go ballistic and tear all my wing feathers again)._

_I bent down beside him and smiled. Damn it, my reputation was slipping off a bit. "I'd look into it later in the royal baths, Van," I promised. That seemed to lighten up his mood a bit. "What did you need from me?"_

_His frown turned into a grin so quickly, it was almost amazing. "Hey, Folken, know what?" I shook my head. "I'm a guardian now! Daddy gave me a human to protect yesterday!" he looked so happy, it was so infectious._

_I had known that father had given him a mortal child to look after; he himself conveyed it to me right after he'd made the decision. I didn't want to ruin Van's good mood, though. "Really? That's wonderful, little brother."_

_He beamed. "Isn't it? I feel like I'm all grown-up, just like you, Folken!"_

That_ made me grin, despite my best efforts to control it. "Don't rush yourself into growing up, Van. Enjoy your youth while you can. I'm sure that when you get to be as big as I am, you'll be a great angel."_

"_Yeah, and then I can scare daddy's angels with your Folken-glare!" he declared, making a fair impression of the face I usually give father's lazy subjects. I _swear_, that boy spends too much time with me. I think I should remove all the mirrors in his room. A little more practice and he'll be better at intimidating people than me._

"_It's not nice to scare your brothers, Van, and Father doesn't want to be called like that." I chided him gently._

_He grinned. "I know. I'm not planning to use it around him, anyway." He ran away towards the edge, waving at me. "Bye-bye, Folken! See you at dinnertime!" he shouted._

_I waved back. Timidly, of course. My reputation, you see. "Goodbye, Van. Where are you going?"_

"_To my mortal. To Hitomi!" he shouted and flew off._

_I frowned. Hitomi. That name sounded familiar. I've been thinking about it all night. I _know _I've heard that name sometime before, but I just can't quite put my finger on it. I think I'll go and have a talk with father. I'm sure he can clarify some things on my mind._

- - -

_Father and I finally had the chance to talk this night. I caught him tidying up his table while I was about to go to the kitchens to get something to eat. I dismissed that idea and went inside his office instead. Talking to him was far more important than dinner._

_Now that I had a chance to think about it, that was _supposed_ to be my lunch, as well. Oh well, never mind._

"_Father? Are you still busy?" I asked when I entered._

_He looked up. He looked _old_. I know my father's _really_ old, but I think you get my point. "Just finishing with the paper works, my son," he said lightly. "Did you want something from me?"_

"_No, I was just going to sneak some leftovers from the kitchen when I saw you tidying up here. I thought maybe you needed some help."_

_Father smiled. "That's very thoughtful of you, Folken. But I'm fine."_

"_You should have more sleep, father, the years seem to be finally catching up with you."_

"_Sometimes I think I may have been born old," he chuckled._

"_I never thought it possible, but one look at you had me convinced, too." He chuckled even louder. I decided to stop beating around the bush then. "Actually father, I... I need to have a little talk with you."_

"_Oh?" He said. Whenever someone asks for a talk with him, that's the first thing he says. Then he turned his back from me. "I already took care of it this morning."_

_That startled me. "Really?" I blurted. I was glad no one was near there. All manner of posterity slips down when I'm with father. With Van too, of course, but I can always scowl at curious onlookers even though I'm with him. "I thought that might cause some problems later on..."_

_He nodded. "I already gave him a new task."_

_I gave a sigh of relief. Van would be safe, then. "That had me worried for a while."_

_Father looked at me and smiled tightly. "I told him that you didn't really mean to scare him. He told me that he'd rather tear all his feathers before working with you again, though. He says he even sees your scowl in his _dreams_. Really, Folken, you should stop daunting away your brothers. Half of the legions won't even _mention_ your name."_

_Huh? "What are you—" Argh, sometimes father can be even more irritating than me. I shook my head. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about," I made a rueful face. "Though I have to thank you for smoothing that mess out. It wasn't my fault, father, really. That lazy sod keeps loafing off. Besides," I made a face. "_He_ started it."_

_Father laughed. At least he was in a good mood when I told him the bad parts. "Well, what is it that you wanted to talk with?"_

_I stuck a toe in. "It's about Van," and then decided to plunge in head first. "He came to me the day before all excited. He was very enthusiastic about his new charge."_

_Father beamed. He really did love that little runt._

_I pressed on. "Now, I've been convincing myself that you _didn't _dare give Van responsibility over that special _girl_ of yours, but I've got this nagging feeling with me. And you _know _how these feelings are. They have a tendency to... well, _nag_ at you. So, I wanted to hear you say it to my face, if you don't mind me asking."_

_He remained silent as his face fell. The sheepish look he gave me was all the confirmation I needed. Sigh, sometimes I hate it when I'm right._

_I groaned and slapped my palm over my forehead. "Father, you _didn't_!"_

"_Van is the only one capable of guarding her," he explained. "Besides, _she's _an innocent. You worry too much, Folken."_

"_Someone _has_ to. It's not safe for a human like her to be associating with angels. I told you before, father, this idea of yours is extremely _dangerous_. It could very well be the end of Gaea as we know it."_

_Father shook his head stubbornly. I should have known he'd still stick to his dumb ideas (forgive me, father, but they really are). I gave a sigh of resignation. "I just don't want to jeopardize everyone, father. Sure, she's an innocent _now_, but humans grow up fast, and once she gets ideas..."_

_He went silent for a while. When he spoke again, his voice was very soft, almost like a whisper. "I wanted Van to have contact with mortals so he could learn. I trust she could teach him things like compassion and mercy."_

_I shook my head as I turned. "You can't put your trust on humans, father, especially the special ones. You never know what _other_ things she might teach your precious Van."_

_I heard him call my name, but I was already far away before he even walked twice._

_I couldn't sleep that night. I kept thinking about Van, father, and the girl, Hitomi. Something tells me that there is something terribly wrong. But what can I do? I cannot go against father's wishes. Sigh. I think I'll have to look closely after Van. He might need my protection from her. That's the only thing I can do for now._

- - -

"Why do you look so afraid, Hitomi? I won't bite," Folken chuckled, seeing the strained look on the girl's face.

Hitomi blinked in surprise and shook her head hard. "No, Lord Folken, I'm fine, really." The way with how Hitomi said that line with such confidence was to be commended.

The blue-haired angel chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You're a _horrible_ liar, little lady." He looked at her intently. She was even more edgy; but at least her apprehension has been lifted… somewhat. "Why have you come to this place?"

Hitomi flushed slightly. "W-well, my g-guardian Ontrose told me c-come here," she stuttered, her words tumbling over each other. "A-and then there were these f-friends of mine, they were cat-people, and they too want—"

Folken interrupted her by holding his palm up from where his arms were bound by the chains. "Stop, Hitomi. Don't tell me what _they_ said. I want to know what made _you_ come here." Hitomi bowed her head, her hands resting lightly on top of her thighs. They were both silent for a moment, and then Folken decided to try again. "Now, I'll ask you again, little lady. Why have you come to this place?"

Hitomi looked up, her pinkish lips tightly pursed. There was a hungry look in her eyes; a hunger for truth, for questions that have been left unanswered for so long. She leaned forward slightly, her clenched fist pushing her chest. "I want…" she started. Her voice was honeyed, almost pleading to him. "I want to know more, about myself… and paradise."

Folken stared at her for a moment, studying her. His lips formed into a small smile as he nodded approvingly. "_That's_ how you answer questions, Hitomi. Not with what others want you to say, but what _you_ really want for yourself." He leaned back on the wall, groaning as he sought his own comfort. Hitomi shifted her sitting position so her legs could breathe. She had been absently stroking the scab that had formed on the wound on her side; only one of the many battle scars that she had with Dilandau.

Folken, breathing easily, closed his eyes and lifted his head, as if reminiscing. "Well, now," he murmured. "Where shall we begin?"

- - -

_I haven't been seeing Van very much these past few... months? He'd go on extended periods visiting that human girl of his. I wonder if he's been eating. No, that's not my main concern. Whenever I broach the subject to father, he just laughs and tells me that I'm too much of a worrier. Maybe I am... well, so far, nothing has happened. The world is still in one piece, and so is Gaea, for that matter._

_I think that the only one that's been changing is Van. That kid's _learning_ so fast. He'll very soon no doubt even outstrip _me_. I kind of miss him, actually. I never get to see him for more than two minutes before he goes running off again down below._

_The only times we get to spend some time together, is when he comes home (very late) at night. He'd crawl into my bed and wriggle beside me and I'd yell him off to go and wash his muddy feet before climbing up again. He'd stuck his pink tongue out, but he'd do what he was told. Then he'd return and we'd spend half the night talking about... well, whatever it was he wanted to talk about._

_I gather that he and Hitomi hit it off very well. He's very excited whenever I ask about her. He'll tell all sorts of stories about them._

_One time, he asked me why other mortals couldn't see him like Hitomi could. I told him that humans aren't supposed to see ethereal beings and things, because they don't belong there. But that only made him more confused. Sigh. I wish I could tell him everything... but Van is such an innocent himself that I don't want to cloud his perception of humans. Maybe when he grows up, he'll understand..._

- - -

_The sun was setting, painting the world with a beautiful salmon. I was (supposed to be) patrolling, but the scene was too damn lovely to be ignored. I stopped to gaze at the loveliness around me. I made sure no one was looking, though._

"_Folken, can I talk to you for a minute?"_

_I turned my head to its side, glancing at a very distressed-looking Van. "What is it?" I asked softly._

_His eyes were brewing, smoldering. "Hitomi's hurt again."_

_I turned to face him directly. Van had grown over the years. His hair was still that impossible messy black mop, but his physique had improved considerably, and his skin had been tanned slightly from his constant descent below. But he still looked like the little brother who'd wriggle into my bed with muddy feet from before. "What do you mean, she's hurt?"_

_He was breathing heavily. "Her mother's been beating her again this morning. You should have seen her, Folken! Bruises on her face, arms, legs... all over!" he burst, his eyes almost spitting fire. His fists were clenched, and he was shaking slightly._

_I looked at him coolly. I knew were this was going. Hitomi's beating isn't new to me, it's happened several times before. "What do you want to do about it, Van? You want to interfere? You know we aren't permitted to meddle with human affairs." It wasn't that I disliked the girl, but that was the truth, and Van has to learn to follow the rules._

_He flinched for a split-second. "Folken, I'm her _guardian_! I'm supposed to _protect_ her from getting hurt!" he was almost screaming at me, and others have turned from their tasks to take a glance._

_I took a step closer and bent lower to level my head with his. I had to make sure he understood clearly. "Yes, Van, that's what guardians do. We protect people. But when it's humans who do the damage to themselves, we _can't_ do anything. We can't interfere with their actions, Van, that's what _freewill_ is all about." I looked at him intently, his eyes very hard with emotion. "Do you understand me, Van?"_

_He didn't answer me right away. His jaw was clenching and unclenching with his suppressed rage. And then quite suddenly, he hugged my neck, burrowing his head in my chest, and cried his stupid, goofy little heart out._

_I felt a slight twinge inside. Van obviously learned his compassion lessons well. He just couldn't stand his charge and his friend to see get hurt like that. I sighed and patted his head consolingly. "There's really nothing we can do, Van," I murmured. "The best thing you _can_ do to help her right now is go and comfort her."_

"_I don't understand it, Folken!" he sobbed, muffled by my chest. "Why can't I protect her the way I want to?" he looked up at me, tears and all. "I can't stand seeing her in so much pain. Did you know that her mother threw a vase at her? It cracked her skull, Folken, and I was so _scared_!" he cried, burrowing his head again. Van might have grown up a little, but his heart remains pure and innocent like a child._

_I feel sorry for Hitomi, but I feel sorrier for Van. He was just as helpless as she was in this matter. Hitomi was human, she had a reason to be helpless. But for a powerful angel like Van to not be able to do anything, it would certainly hurt the most._

- - -

Kamion sighed as he flipped the pages of the ancient blue book. He had been reading the bound prince's journal for nearly an hour, and there was still much to be discovered in its pages. He felt sorry for Hitomi, partly for being toyed with fate, and partly because she wasn't given a choice in the matter. He sighed again, his free hand absently toying with the silver chain that was beside him.

He turned the page, and a new entry was written in small neat script there. There were no dates, no markers to track the passage of time, for what was time to angels? He began reading about the contents. There were some that he glossed over, and some pages that he completely skipped altogether. There were a few pages of almost meaningless topics, like records of how many angels Lord Folken had scared that week, or how the patrols went that week, or his memories of his childhood and his creation, or how the dinner tasted horrible that night, and so on and so forth. Kamion was in no time to immerse himself in petty gossip and mindless chatter; he was here to investigate the curious background of the human Hitomi.

He turned page after page of the blue book, sighing. The remaining pages were thinning, and he was near at the end by now. After the last entry where it stated that Hitomi was being beaten by her mother, no more entries of such interest had cropped up. Sometimes, he'd read a few lines from the entries, whenever the names of Van and Hitomi would flash for an instant when he'd scan the page. He'd gather small trivial things, like how Van's attitude had changed, how he grew up, and how attached he became to Hitomi.

He was at the last three entries. At last, he'd found another entry pertaining to the human girl. He read on, noticing that the subject was Van and how he wanted to bring Hitomi to paradise. He read quietly, his face calm but deep in study. He passed the second to the last entry, and then finally, to the last. Then quite suddenly, his fingers gripped the sides of the book with such force that his knuckles turned white. His eyes were bulging out, and a look of pure shock and disbelieve was clearly written all over his face. "Impossible!" he whispered hoarsely. "It... It _can't_ be!" he exploded as he stood up, breathing hard. He looked sideways at the silver necklace, glittering in the playing lights of the torch, the crimson pendant peeped coyly at him. Kamion's brows twisted; he wasn't sure of what to do.

The Ancient Angel had emerged from his library in the middle of the night, wanting to go to sleep. He held a candle in his right hand and a couple of books in his other. He closed the heavy door silently, making a soft click as it shut tight. He then proceeded to walk leisurely along the long corridors of his palace.

He passed by the summons office to find that the candles have been left lit. That's a pretty reckless thing to do when working inside a room full of papers. He went inside and gingerly blew the flickering flames out. Satisfied, he turned around to leave. Before reaching the open doorway, he stopped in his tracks, his head cocked slightly to his side. A curious expression on his face, he turned around, walked softly towards the work table, and peered over to the chair opposite him. There, he found Kamion's cloak thrown haphazardly across the deeply cushioned seat.

That struck the Father of the Angels as something as odd. Kamion was a compulsively neat man, and he'd _never_ leave his things lying around after using them. If his cloak was still here in his office, it would mean that he was still awake. But the question is, where is he?

The Elder searched about, calling his name shortly. He passed the training grounds, the kitchens, the armory, the angels' quarters, but Kamion wasn't there. The Elder sighed in thought and irritation. "Where _is_ that man?" he muttered to himself.

_He must be in the conservatory, looking over Dilandau's accounts,_ he thought. That must have been it, because there weren't anywhere else he could have gone to. Shrugging, he strode forward, passing the dark corridor where the forbidden section was. As he rounded a corner towards the back door, he stopped, his eyes wide and bulging. He spun around and ran as fast as his aged body allowed him to. He was heaving when he reached the open doors of the forbidden room, the golden chains lying discarded on the floor. The lock was open, and it was hooked unto the clasp still, with the ring of keys still stuck inside the hole. He peered inside, his heart thundering inside him. All the tables were messy and untouched—except one, in the far back. He walked closer to it, and found a blue book lying open upon the dark wood.

His eyes widened, and an ear-splitting roar was heard all over paradise that sent all the birds up on the trees to take flight.

_The thing that I have feared has finally happened. Hitomi and Van are going to destroy Gaea. It was what I have been telling father even before he started creating his special child. I _knew_ that she will be too powerful, and that power will be dangerous once she gets hold of an even more powerful weapon—Van. I _won't_ let it happen. I _won't_ let Hitomi destroy our home. So I hatched a plan: I will help them escape father's wrath._

_Forgive me father, I know that you'd punish me greatly once you realize that it was _I_ who let them escape. But please believe me, I only did it for eveyone's sake... for _your _sake. As long as Hitomi stays in Gaea, the whole world is in great peril. I cannot let them destroy everything I love!_

_I do not want Gaea destroyed! I do not want _Van_ destroyed! I will only let Hitomi run away so that father won't unleash his anger on my brother. But mark my words, when the day comes that Hitomi and I will meet once again, I will _kill_ her._

I will kill her!

- - -

Hitomi was sitting comfortably in front of the prince, her delicate fingers intertwined and clasped lightly upon her thighs. Her head was bowed, trying to let all the information Folken had been telling her sink in. "So... I wasn't born an angel," she murmured.

"Angels aren't born, Hitomi, they are created." Folken answered nonchalantly, his eyes closed as he rested his head against the cold stone wall.

She nodded silently. "Um," she began. "You said I had a family once. Where are they now?" she asked hesitantly.

Folken lifted his chin a bit higher. "Little lady, if you haven't noticed," he sat up straight, shaking his chains loudly. "I'm all tied up in this delightful little cave. If I had the resources to go researching, I'd love to dig your family tree for you."

Hitomi actually blushed.

Folken rubbed his chin in thought. "Your mother loved you," he supplied afterwards, careful not to choke on his own words. "And if I remember, your father died of an accident a few years later, with your mother five months pregnant. That's the last time I got a sneak peek into your family, when you grew up you spent less time with them and more with your guardian." He said, erasing all traces of the blatant lie he just said to her from his eyes.

Hitomi felt a bit disappointed. She had thought that the prince would know of everything about her. Still, she couldn't blame him; it wasn't in his position to keep track of her life just in case she gets a bad dose of forgetfulness, after all.

Her green gaze clearly avoided meeting with his red ones. "Lord Folken," she began again, feeling a little foolish as to all these questions. "My guardian told me that I was banished from Gaea. Why was that?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her, despite having about a million dilemmas hovering about her head.

Folken turned his gaze towards her abruptly, his eyes eyeing her in that calculating gaze of his. Hitomi's heart thundered, beating faster by the second. Still, the prince of all the angels gazed at her, not saying anything.

Finally, he sighed so softly, it was almost inaudible. "Remember when I told you that you spent less time with your family and more time with your guardian? Well, it came to the point when the two of you were almost _inseparable_..."

Hitomi cocked her head slightly, her eyes awash with conflicting memories as she listened intently to Folken's story.

_The two of you were always together that it came to the point that you were almost _inseparable_. He'd spend less and less time away from us, just as you'd spend less and less time with your family. We didn't mind his absence, really. Guardians are almost constantly down on earth below, anyway, even for one so young like your protector._

_And so days turned into nights, nights into months and into years. Time flowed on, as is its usual habit, and the two of you grew up like a pair of well-watered weeds. We still saw less from him, but we'd grown very much accustomed to it. He'd go visit from time to time—to get something to eat, most probably, or to go get you a present of some sort—like flowers from Gaea. He always said you liked flowers. He'd go out into the gardens and into the meadows and pick the flowers currently in bloom and go back down to surprise you._

Folken sat quietly afterwards for a little while, appearing to be gathering his thoughts. However, it was his eyes that suddenly made Hitomi's body shiver involuntarily; it was like it became lifeless and icy in a single heartbeat.

_Then one day, you came into Gaea._

She jerked slightly from her seat, suddenly very alert.

_Everyone was curious to know what a human was doing inside Gaea, though they wisely chose to keep their mouths shut. No one would _dare_ confront your angel. How he kept you there for days, I don't know; I was too busy masking you and your foolish guardian's actions from the Elder to notice. Unfortunately, he found out sooner than I expected, and I ended up being imprisoned and the both of you banished with your memories erased._

_Memories erased... memories erased... _those last few words rang inside Hitomi's mind, haunting her with their meaning. Up until then, she had not fully realized what exactly what the cause of her memory lapse was; now it became very clear to her.

Still, there was something quite out of place for the sandy-haired female. Surely, she wouldn't be banished just by sneaking into paradise for a few measly days now, would she? Would a few days of stowing away be really _that_ much of a transgression as to make her memories be totally obliterated?

Folken set his jaw and looked upon Hitomi, his eyes smoldering. He couldn't quite contain his emotions anymore, though he had vowed not to show them. Ever since he first caught attention of Hitomi's immense presence, that undeniable emotion had been seething through the pit of his stomach. He had used all that time practicing then, controlling and manipulating his emotions until the day they would meet; willing his instinctive feelings to simmer under and be masked behind his eyes. But now that the fated day _had_ come, it has become quite uncontrollable. His age-long hatred towards the very same _human_ who stole all his life and happiness away was mere _inches_ from his outstretched grasp.

"You still don't see it, do you," he said in a deadly calm and icy monotone. It was stated as a fact, and not as a question. "Stupid little human. Risking everyone's lives just to save you, the very least you could do is _remember_ what had happened."

Hitomi stood up shakily, unsure of what to do, much less what to say. "W-What do you m-mean...?"

Folken's eyes were blazing by now, and the looks he was giving her was like that of a very angry bull. His knuckles were white by his deathlike grip, his muscles bulging underneath his tattered and torn clothing, restrained only by the stubborn links that bound him still.

Hitomi took a few steps backwards, her eyes wide and very much afraid. The transformation before her came in an instant that it surprised her!

"After everything he did, after everything he _risked_, you have the damn nerve to _forget him_!" Folken seethed, the very mountain shuddering its displeasure towards Hitomi.

She stumbled due to the sudden quaking, feeling the rush of adrenaline course through her veins. She leaned her slender body to the wall, grasping the rough stones for guidance. Her other hand reflexively went above to cover her head; her eyes darting to and fro, her breath coming in short gasps.

Folken strained with all his might to free himself from the chains so he could lash at Hitomi and end both of their misery. "Can't you see that it's because of _you_ that we both ended like the way we are now? Can't you even _see_ that, foolish mortal!" he roared, trying desperately to free himself..

Hitomi, driven by sheer desperation and confusion, stupidly stumbled forward to _help_ the enraged Folken. "If that's the only problem, then let _me_ help you!" she shouted, putting out her hand to help unlatch the silver chains by his wrists.

Folken inwardly grinned. _A human to free me from these ethereal chains. Very well done._

"Hitomi, _no_!" a voice rang out suddenly from behind her.

Surprised, Hitomi spun her head about, only to see a tall, weary-looking angel standing by the mouth of the underground cave where they both were. He was heaving with exhaustion, and from the ruffled and bloodied feathers from his wings, it was clear that he was flying fast for the last few hours. His raven hair was a mess, and his deep blue eyes, though looking quite dead, were very crisp and clear in their stern command to her to cease and desist. Hitomi's guardian had seemingly come out from the grave to rescue her once more.

But the warning came out too late. As the very edges of Hitomi's slender fingers touched the silver chains, they began to lose their luster. The aura died slowly, and then the very chains turned rust in color, until they finally shattered into million of tiny pieces.

Hitomi's glorious eyes went very wide. "How did I...?" she trailed off. She looked at Folken, dumbfounded. "But I barely touched them!"

Something flashed inside Folken's eyes, and he lunged forward, intent on crushing Hitomi's neck.

Frozen in terror, Hitomi just stood there. Thankfully, the angel who had unceremoniously entered had snatched her back in the nick of time, pulling her behind with him.

Folken, his eyes blazing with fire and lightning, clutched at the air, his target escaping from him. He roared with fury and frustration, and he banged his fists down the floor, sending the whole mountain to shudder violently, rocks coming loose above them.

"I know thy purpose, prince Folken!" the angel Ontrose bravely shouted. "A purpose which I cannot permit!"

The blue-haired angel flared his impressively massive black wings, the tips touching the sides of the cave. "Let the mortal go, minion," he regally commanded.

"So thou couldst kill her?" he spat, causing Hitomi to look at him with terrified eyes and a pallid face.

Folken strode forward, his footsteps shaking the mountain. Ontrose led Hitomi behind him, an arm wrapped protectively upon her shoulder. "Ontrose, you _know _you cannot match me," he smirked.

The gallant Ontrose neither winced nor budged, but stood stubbornly protecting the girl from behind.

Folken took his fists and banged once again on the walls, this time more powerful. Holes were his fists connected were left as marks on the rough stone walls, and by then, the whole mountain was about to _topple_.

Hitomi got down on her knees and covered her head with her hands, eyes shut tight and screaming. Ontrose stood hunched above her, shielding her with his own body from the onslaught of rocks from the caving roof.

Folken smirked as he saw his opportunity. His wings flared as he unleashed his full power. He directed his will towards the two hindrances before him. Such a force could easily shatter glass in the whole earth and Gaea had not been so carefully concentrated. The sound of it nearly buckled Hitomi's knees, and she quivered considerably when bright sparks of lightning came forking out of Folken's outstretched hands.

Ontrose, being caught off-guard in an awkward position protecting Hitomi, could do nothing as the dreadful sparks came forking ever so closer.

And then a loud booming crash ensued, so loud that it hurt Hitomi's ears, rendering her deaf for a few moments. When she opened her eyes, she saw Ontrose still standing over her, but what surprised her was to see _another_ angel, a blonde one, standing before the two of them, holding a large piece of boulder that was dislodged from the ceiling like a shield. Apart from the rock that was steaming in his hands, he seemed perfectly fine.

"Kamion!" Ontrose blurted, surprised. "What art thou doing here?"

The said angel grinned back at him boyishly. "Seeing paper all of mine days were getting a tad boring," he said. "Besides, why should _you_ have all the fun?"

Kamion tossed the boulder aside and approached them warily. "Ontrose, I..." he began, his voice getting thick. "I thought that thou hast... thou hast..." he trailed off, unable to say the words correctly.

Ontrose returned the grin. "Legions," he sneered deprecatingly. "They never were that much good of fighters, eh, Kamion?" he said.

The blonde-haired angel smiled slowly at that point. It was the most magical transformation Hitomi had ever seen; Kamion was a lifeless husk of an angel who was instantly given spark and soul by seeing his friend alive before his very eyes.

Their fond reunion didn't last for long, though, as Folken roared his anger and frustration, causing the mountain to heave once again.

Ontrose steadied Hitomi by putting his hands firmly about her shoulders. "How didst thy manage to fend off the prince's lightning?" he asked of his friend.

"Simple," Kamion answered, his hands flailing about as he searched for his balance. "I found out why his majesty cannot break the chains to flee from this place."

"Why?"

Kamion smiled at him, his eyes alert. "These are the very same rocks that were used to create him."

- - -

High amongst the clouds, a very angry Elder hurriedly went towards his observatory to peer into the messages that was writ large among the stars.

The situation was going _very_ badly. Kamion was not in his study, but had slipped unobtrusively to the forbidden section to look upon Hitomi and _Folken's_ accounts. To make matters worse, he flew down below to meddle with what fate has in store for the mortal and his son. And as he squinted hard to see that Ontrose was still _alive_ not like the report his angels gave him, another roar of frustration echoed down the entire citadel.

"_How didst thy manage to fend off the prince's lightning?"_

"_Simple. I found out why his majesty cannot break the chains to flee from this place."_

His eyes went very wide after reading the next few lines in the book of the stars. Had Kamion really found out the truth about that mountain?

True, it was indeed _his_ own intention to imprison his son inside that grot, for he knew no force in earth or Gaea could match the immense power with which he created his son. No power, that is, but the very same mountain where he was crafted from.

Realizing with horror at what possible truths Kamion could say, he hurriedly closed his eyes and spoke to the stars so they can be persuaded to change their paths. Stars of angels have a more or less permanent course, since he _cannot_ control an angel's fate, for what was he, but an angel himself? Still, there was no harm in trying, and he was _sure_ that even the most stubborn of stars could be persuaded to veer off into another direction...

_Time, I don't have much time!_

Still the stars didn't budge.

And then he was too late. _"These are the very same rocks that were used to create him."_

His eyes shot open and he was trembling. _No... no!_ Folken's words echoed throughout his consciousness, his words in his journal had haunted him since he read them that evening.

_Forgive me father, I know that you'd punish me greatly once you realize that it was _I_ who let them escape. But please believe me, I only did it for everyone's sake... for _your _sake..._

He was about to panic. _No! If I had only read it sooner... if I had only read it sooner!_

- - -

Upon hearing those words, Ontrose's eyes grew very wide. "Thou couldn't mean..."

"Yes, this mountain is where he was created." Kamion finished for him, a soft look in his eyes. "I read it in his journal."

Ontrose went silent for a while, and smiled softly. "Thou hast entered the forbidden section? Who art thou, and what hath thou done to mine _real_ brother?" he bantered.

Kamion laughed. It was rueful, and a little bit sad that Hitomi suddenly got very much alarmed. "What's going on? What are the two of you going to do?" she faced her many-times savior. "Ontrose?"

Ontrose looked at her, smiling fondly. "I am very pleased to see that you followed my advice, Hitomi," he said. "I have enjoyed guarding you very much."

Hitomi's eyes look afraid. "What are you talking about? Why are you talking like that?" she demanded, looking at the pair of angels back and forth.

Kamion regarded her warmly, quite pleased to see Ontrose's charge to be a caring mortal. Then, remembering something, he fished for something that was inside his tunic and handed it to her.

Hitomi looked down on her palms, a warm tingling sensation coursing through her body. "W-What's this?" she asked, holding out the silver chain and pendant that was glowing red like blood.

Upon seeing the necklace, Folken roared and strode forward. "_Fools_! Do not give her the necklace!" His thunderous voice resulted in another earthquake, and more boulders fell from the roof.

Acting quickly, Ontrose shoved Hitomi outside the mouth of the grot, towards the other side, where she entered from. She fell backwards and landed hard on her bottom, the mysteriously glowing blood-red pendant swaying like a pendulum from her grasp.

Kamion faced her, smiling. "Do not ever lose it, Hitomi. Wear it at all times. It will lead you back to him."

She blinked. "Back to him? Who…?"

Kamion turned and smiled at his brother, who was grinning boyishly now. "You do realize that there's only one thing to stop his majesty now, can you?" he asked of his friend, finally dropping the archaic speech, now that he was almost free.

Ontrose nodded.

Hitomi stood up, intent on pounding some sense into the brains of these two males. But the entrance was now blocked by heavy boulders that have fallen from the ceiling, obscuring her path back inside. "Ontrose! No! Don't do it!" she pleaded.

Kamion turned to ask him. "Forgive me, brother, I have betrayed you."

Ontrose smiled. "Don't be ashamed, Kamion, I understand perfectly."

He nodded, relieved. "Are you ready?" he asked, Folken gathering up all his force.

Ontrose grinned and turned towards Hitomi. "Be well, fated mortal and angel. Until we meet again."

Hitomi cried, hot tears spilled across her cheeks. "No, Ontrose! Don't do this! You mustn't!"

Ontrose slowly turned his back on her, not minding her tearful cries. With a final nod towards Kamion, both of them charged forward, shouldering Folken's open chest, making him stagger backwards. His back slammed against the stone wall, and he hissed, his sparking hands grasping each of the angels' heads. "Foolish _minions_! Did you _think_ that you can stop me?" he thundered.

"We're not going to stop you, Folken, this mountain will," Ontrose murmured, his voice somewhat with joyous overtones.

Kamion smiled at him as he held out an arm. Ontrose smiled back and gladly took it.

Moving as a single unit, the brothers drove the blue-haired roaring angel into the very rocks of the mountain, their very essences melting into that most powerful of forces. And so it was that Kamion and Ontrose, hand in hand, entombed the prince of all angels along with themselves inside that living stone to sleep silently forever.

And neither of them ever let go again.

- - -

Gaea was very still that night. It seemed too shock itself for the loss of its prince.

A lone, long cry of unutterable anguish was heard, as the Ancient Angel sobbed inside his observatory for the loss of his son.

- - -

Hitomi was weeping still, pounding on the boulders that have separated her from the sacrifice that was given to her by her protector. She was still shouting his name, even though she knew it was futile, having a few strands of hope that Ontrose would still be alive.

Having lost all strength, the sandy-haired female leaned her back on the wall, sobbing uncontrollably as she slid slowly to the floor. There she sat, all alone and very lonely, the shining pendant being the only light that consoled her in her cold darkness.

And all the while that same familiar voice, that ethereal, sad song, floated through the air, filling her ears with its heartbreaking endless melody.

_Tsuzuku_

* * *

He smiled a sad little smile_. "We aren't permitted to make mistakes, my son. That is why we are angels."_ And he walked away.

* * *

_A little bit of note, here._

_I hope you guys weren't _too_ frustrated with how the flashbacks are coming along. I know it all seems so disconnected, but I cannot help it to be that way. Please bear in mind that I made people remember things differently. The Elder only remembers the times when he was with Van, Folken remembers the times when he was with Van and Hitomi, and Hitomi only remembers what her memory could grasp. I know there are some fairly large gaps in their histories, but I plead you guys to be patient. They will be filled, but not just by one person only. I made it like that because it's more plausible that way._

_Questions and flames are always welcome, and if there are some things you'd like to pick with me, kindly do so. I would certainly not mind advice and tips to make this story more enjoyable. Grin._

_On a side note, it's my birthday today! Wai! Lots of chocolate for everyone. Grin._

_See you guys next chapter!_

_Sadame X  
__Defy your destiny._


	9. The Song of Sora

_Ojamashimasu!_

_Bad news. My brother sold my PC when I was halfway done with the typing, meaning I had to do it all over again. You know, I should have been able to update two months early. I still don't have a computer, so the typing of the next chapter might prove to be a problem._

_More on bad news, seems like our host site is now ruling out the habit of writers answering their reviewers. Personally, I think that sucks, but I cannot argue; this is their realm, and I must follow the rules. Since the Author's Note is not prohibited, I will try to answer your questions here, though I will not name names (I hope you would understand). I would like to thank you all for continuing reading, and your reviews mean a lot to me, really. Sob. It makes a little girl like me swell with joy!_

_Many thanks for the birthday greeting! I send you my warmest wave. Grin. Yes, Kamion and Ontrose did lose their lives, although I wouldn't be sure of that. They're one with the mountain now; they're almost as eternal as before. Besides, the two of them are finally together, so it sort of makes them happy, ne? As for Folken's views on Hitomi, it will be touched a bit in this chapter, but the full story's still quite a ways to go._

_I'm quite happy that this old story could still attract new readers! Hello to you both out there! I hope you will enjoy the rest of the story._

_Whew! Here you go, minna-san! Please note that I upped the rating for a reason; you'll understand when you read this. Here's chapter eight, more on Hitomi's past!_

_**Sadame-chan  
**_**_190805_**

_By the way, I'm sure some of you noticed the new story I've uploaded. Blush. There's actually an explanation about that... blush._

* * *

_Chapter Eight:  
__The Song of Sora_

The young man chuckled to himself. "I just can't believe this," he said, shaking his head slightly. He held a tattered torch in his left hand, while his free right grasped the rough sides of the underground cavern he was exploring. His feet stepped out slowly in front of him almost automatically, one foot after another. From the ruddy glow of his torchlight, he could see eerie-looking shadows dancing around and above him throughout the vast grottos. He looked up to see different kinds of critters staring down at him with an almost reptilian indifference. A small pebble hit his right foot due to his inattention, and he stumbled forward slightly, giving a surprised oath.

He still couldn't believe it. As he rounded a corner into another low-ceilinged corridor, he once again shook his head. "Just like how she said it would be," he mumbled. He had to bow down low to enter the next cavern, and when he did he stopped for a while to stretch himself and to look around. "A shallow underground lake with a black sand floor... exactly like she said."

He looked high above him to see the vast roof almost as black as the fine silt sand in the bottom of the calm lake that was in the middle of the fairly large cavern. He gave off a long low whistle, not being surprised to hear it echoing back at him. He walked towards the lake and knelt on one knee, scooping some of the cool water with his hand. He took a sip—it was sweet, and it tasted pure, unlike any other water he had ever tasted.

Soon he was on his feet and on the move again—she _did_ say to make haste—walking quietly down rooms and passages with an uncanny precision. "After this room, I have to see a corridor that breaks into five," he muttered as he raised his leg so as not to trip on the loose boulder that had managed to dislodge itself from the ceiling. As he neared the end of the corridor, his instructions were once again proven to be accurate. In front of him were five paths to choose from. Had he not been given a specific and _very_ detailed sketch, he was sure that he would have been lost. He went into each passage mouth and felt the left wall with his hand. His face looked relieved when he felt the five-pointed star crack that was supposed to be the mark. "Well, finally," he breathed, plunging into the darkness of the chosen passage.

The eerie silence that hung thick all round him seemed to calm and agitate him at the same time. To ease himself, he walked on while musing how these bizarre set of events had happened this evening. It had been a little while after the fairly strong earthquake, when he had been making sure that his home and grossly expectant wife were all fine. And then quite suddenly, _she_ was there, standing in his doorway, garbed in her simple priestess robes and that immaculate blindfold over her eyes. She pleaded him to take his torch and to make haste—he needed to rescue a wounded girl inside the caverns in the mountain over the west.

"_But there are no caves in that mountain, holy priestess,"_ he remembered himself saying then.

But the priestess urged him to go before the night ends. And then, while he was still putting on his dark blue robe over his tunic and packing bandages and herbs, the blindfolded woman began telling him very carefully his way around the caves. When he was all set and he had reassured his wife that everything would turn out alright, he repeated every detail the priestess had told him. When she had made sure that her instructions were firmly set into his mind, she said a little prayer for guidance, bade him once again to make haste, and sent him off into the night.

"Who would've ever thought that there really _was_ a cave in here," he chuckled, shaking his head again. But he was absolutely _sure_ that there weren't any entrances into the mountain. He was a hunter; he had been into the forest and the mountain many, many times before to know what he was talking about. After a while, he concluded that the cave might have been the result of the earthquake that happened a while ago. He also deduced that since he knew the area so well, he was the one that the priestess asked to go out.

He entered another cavern, and it was littered here and there with rubble. "I wonder how anyone would end up in here," he said to no one in particular. He exited the cavern and walked into a long, narrow passage. "More importantly... why?"

He walked on and on, and he had just realized that he was beginning to get tired. He had been hunting skittish deer that morning, and he hadn't had enough rest, what with that earthquake and all. "These winding passages go on forever, it seems," he commented dryly, wiping at his brow.

At last he came into the cavern that the priestess last described. A large part of its roof had fallen off, and the exit at the other end was blocked off by huge boulders. He also noted with some satisfaction—though it _did_ sent a shudder through him—that the walls on this room glowed with some phosphorescent kind of light. Also, if her words were proving themselves—which they _have_, of course—this was also the room where the said wounded girl would be.

The man walked forward, his robe suddenly making him quite hot. Wiping at his brow again, he noticed something pristine and sparkling standing out like a white beacon into the dark distance. He held his torch a little higher and paced faster.

As he neared it, he saw a young woman sitting down on the floor, her back pressed against the blocked exit, the white shining—feathers?—sticking out apparently from her back. Her head was bowed low, as if she was unconscious, her mop of sandy hair falling all around her face, making her unknown to him.

"Miss, are you alright?" he said, to which he got no answer. "Miss?" he tried again, but to no avail.

He knelt down before her as he rummaged through his pockets to get some herbs and bandages out. "Miss? Are you alright?" he asked again, tapping her lightly on the shoulder. Having no reply for the third time, he stopped, dropped the bandages on his lap and held her wrist. He found there a strong, steady pulse. "I guess she's just unconscious," he muttered.

He began dressing her wounds, but he soon ran out of stock before he could tend to the ones on her legs and back. Propping his torch into some boulders, he gently shook the girl's shoulders with his hands. "I'm here to rescue you and take you into the village," he said. "Please wake up."

And then she stirred. She didn't open her eyes, but at least the man knew she was only sleeping. _Poor girl, she must've been exhausted, being caught inside here during that earthquake!_

The girl gave a low moan, and she adjusted her head, pressing it against the stone wall. As the torchlight now gave discernment to her soft features, the man who was holding her shoulders gasped, his eyes widening in disbelief. "It... it _can't_ be!" he said in a choked whisper. "_Hitomi!_"

- - -

_Win dein a lotica_

_En vai turi silota_

_Fin dein a loluca_

_En dragu a sei lain_

_Vi fa-ru les shutai am_

_En riga-lint..._

There was a sense of restlessness in Hitomi's dreams that seemed to reflect her current mood that night. She had had dreams before, many, many dreams, but not like the one she was having right now. Before, she had been inside her dreams also, being able to participate into whatever wonderful or horrible thing her drowsy mind had to let her experience. She resembled in that respect an actress; one who would submerge her whole being into the things and emotions that were presented upon her.

But this time, it was different. This time, Hitomi felt as though she was just a mere spectator; like an invisible audience watching a show. She felt as though her dream was a story laid out in front of her through a wide panoramic screen... one that she was just allowed to watch from a distance.

It wasn't that Hitomi would object. She had no qualms about only being able to watch and not actually _live_ her dreams; some of her dreams had been gruesome as of late. She wasn't disappointed as she was _frustrated_—this particular dream was making her dizzy. There just doesn't seem any point in it! Everything seemed so fast, so hurried that they didn't make any sense. She would just barely grasp one idea when another would come crashing right before her eyes, and then fleetingly disappear to make way for the next. It was terribly confusing—and exhausting—for Hitomi that at times she'd want nothing but scream.

The images were varied. Some were detailed lovingly; some were faint sketches of the vaguest kind. Everything seemed so fast-paced, so transient, that it left her wanting more and more and wanting no more at the same time. At first, there was Hitomi, or at least Hitomi _felt_ that the little girl knelt before her was herself. She was all alone, and she was crying in the darkness. She was wearing a faded brown peasant dress; one with patches and frayed cuffs. Her hair was cut short, barely touching her shoulders. Her pitiful sobs sent torrents of pain through Hitomi's heart. And then little Hitomi was gone, replaced by a lush grassy field. The wind broke the grass into long rolling waves. And then the field faded away and became falling leaves of brown and amber. Faster and faster the images spun, dizzying yet mesmerizing. More and more images assaulted her mind. Milky white arms. Crushed flower petals of lavender and crimson. Blood spatters on palms. A woman talking. Bruises on the corner of the mouth. Feet sloshing underwater. A woman crying. Broken vases and shattered glass. Smeary clouds. A girl climbing a tree. A long, battered wooden rod with a twisted handle. Shadows playing under the hot sun. A flash of deep red hair.

Hitomi stirred from her sleep, her subconscious trying to flinch from all these pictures that were constantly played and passed on, as if someone was trying to cram everything in her at once. She gave a low moan as she squirmed uncomfortably from where she lay.

_Win chent a lotica_

_En vai turi silota_

_Fin dein a loluca_

_Si katigura neuver_

_Floreria for chesti_

_Si entina..._

A strip of white cloth. A lone candle being lit. Arms stretched out in the darkness. The cry of a lonely falcon. A child with soft black curls. The mast of a ship. The bleary path of a falling star. A woman shouting. Brown hair. A table full of white paper cranes. A pair of rusty scissors. Broken sandals. And then little Hitomi knelt in front of her crying again...

The images were spinning faster and faster now. Hitomi's eyes were moving rapidly along with it. She whimpered in her sleep; she felt like throwing up after all the visual assault that was being bombarded at her tired and thoroughly depleted system. Apparently, that only made matters worse. If Hitomi thought that the pictures were spinning fast before, then the way they spun right now must have been at an _obscene_ speed. She started to jerk her head sideways, while her fingers twitched, making sudden snatches at her hair.

The man carrying her passed a short glance at her. She was making him _very_ nervous. The fact that she was someone he knew only made matters even more difficult—that _and_ the fact that she had a pair of glistening white wings on her back. The man gave a soft grunt as he shifted her weight on his good arm, resulting in another whimper from the profusely sweating girl.

Hitomi was tossing her head wildly now. She wanted her dream to stop. There weren't any disturbing or vividly grotesque scenes or images, but there was something in her dream that truly frightened her. There was some sort of message—kind of like a tinge of influence—that was embedded inside those pictures that had filled her with dread. She had wanted to scream a while earlier, but her mouth seemed to be clamped shut. Frustrated that she could only mutter a silent scream, Hitomi then proceeded into thrashing about with her arms and feet.

And that made her rescuer flinch back, as one of her clenched fists hit his jaw. He made gentle shakes to try to wake the sunshine-haired lady, but was only met with more fists and feet. He decided to set her down firmly on the ground to stop her from hitting him.

As Hitomi's gallant rescuer shifted her position so she was almost standing upright, the images in her dream had stopped spinning, replaced by only one flickering image. It was of a sepia-colored woman with gently waving hair that kept silently mouthing to her one thing.

"Wake up."

Hitomi's feet met the rough ground with a soft thud. The man beside her made a small grunt. Hitomi's eyes fluttered heavily, thick lashes sweeping across her line of vision making it even blurrier than it already is. From what she could make of it, they were still inside the mountain, walking along a winding passageway. There was a faint light from somewhere in the distance beyond her, and there was a gentle breeze that caressed her face; one that smelt of evergreens and wildflowers.

"Thank the Gods that you're awake. Can you walk by yourself?" said a tender and oddly familiar voice beside her. One hand was pressed firmly but gently on the small of her back that urged her to take even small steps forward. Hitomi's still-foggy mind refused to register what was happening all around her, but as she took more and more steps, her blood finally circulated through her veins long enough to make her think coherently.

There was somebody beside her!

She spun around, and was instantly met by the kindest pair of eyes that she had seen. Tears suddenly found their way out, and began spilling down her cheeks one after another. Hitomi gave a weak smile and a muffled sob. For the first time in what seemed like weeks, Hitomi felt happiness and relief surging within her.

"Oh," she sobbed. She wiped at her eyes and then embraced the startled man beside her. She burrowed her face into his chest. "Oh, Allen," she moaned, her senses feeling a bit drowsy once more. "I thought I'd never see you again."

And Hitomi was lost again to unconsciousness.

- - -

The sound of plates clinking softly together filled the ears of the young woman who was drying up her dishes very carefully. Her brows were knit in anxious anticipation. Her lips were pursed tightly, her eyes were focused onto the shiny surface of the sparkling china she held with two delicate hands.

She set the plate down and glanced at the grandfather clock which stood a few feet behind her. It was only a few hours before daybreak. _And_ _yet he is not home still._ She gave a long sigh and continued on her work, scrubbing imaginary crumbs off the plates using her drying cloth.

Her lower lip trembled slightly, her body tingled. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead as she set her undivided attention to the task at hand. After a while, she set down the plate she was drying and glanced behind her once again, finding that another thirteen minutes have passed, but still no sign from her husband. She gently put the plate away and heaved a long-drawn sigh. _I think I'm going crazy._

She slowly turned around and went towards the deeply-cushioned sofa in their small but neatly kept living room. She waddled slowly, her hands gently supporting her distended belly. After she had sat herself comfortably—which resulted in her sprawled across the sofa—she balled one fist and began pounding rhythmically on her shoulders and back. She was carrying a bit of extra weight, and it was positioned at a very awkward place. So even though all she could manage was a stately waddle, she was still putting a lot of pressure on her back.

She chuckled softly when she remembered something from long ago. Her husband had been the perfect picture of manliness when she demurely told him that she was with child. She had not expected what his reaction would be. She thought that he would be very happy, jumping around and shouting to the whole world that he was now, officially, a father. But it had been the exact opposite. He was stunned to insensibility. He just stood there, unloaded rifle in his hands, looking at his radiant wife with unbelieving wide eyes.

When she'd touch his cheek to see if he was alright, he set his gun down and quietly walked out the door, not a single word uttered from his mouth. She had been devastated then, thinking that their relationship had been cursed, that she had been punished by the gods for marrying too early. Because wasn't it true that the child inside her was, in fact, not planned? She had gone into thinking that the unexpected coming of their child had been something of a blessing, but seeing her husband's reaction right now, she felt as if she was about to die.

And then he heard her husband cry out. Alarmed, she ran outside, calling his name. She found him by the temple gates, kneeling on the dirt floor. Too choked up for words, she went to his side and clung to him, tears welling up inside. She held him tight; clutched at his clothes. She would give anything to not have this man leave her. She did not know why he seemed sad; she did not know if it was the baby or something else, but she was willing to do anything to return him to his happiness again.

But she did not expect her husband returning her embrace.

There they were, the youngest couple in the village, holding each other as if their lives depended on it. He held her tight; he stroked her hair, kissed her forehead, nose and lips. Suddenly his shoulders were shaking, and he let go of her, his hands fell flat on the ground, supporting his body. Droplets of water fell to quench the dry earth underneath him, and she glanced at him when she heard a choked sob.

Her husband was crying.

And then, _she_ was there, standing underneath the safety of the great sakura tree, wearing her usual priestess robes and the crisp white blindfold over her eyes. There was a serene smile on her face, and she reached out her hands to him, and he obeyed, rising up from the ground to greet their priestess, hugging her fondly and crying on her shoulder.

"I'm a father, holy priestess! I'm a father! The Gods had seen me fit to bless me with a child!" he sobbed happily over and over again, while the holy woman stood there smiling with purest joy.

And finally realizing everything, she put one delicate hand over her belly, feeling the warmth inside her that nourished their God-given gift. She looked at his beloved; seeing her husband cry out in utter happiness like that sent tears to her eyes. And then, not being able to control it anymore, she covered her face with both hands, and sobbed happily.

The mother-to-be absentmindedly patted her grossly distended belly, a soft smile on her lips. She had endured eight grueling months of pregnancy. When she had promised to herself that she would love her husband all of her life, she had been longing to bear him children. After all, was it or was it not the ultimate expression of a woman's love to her husband to give him children? And she loved her husband with a particularly fervent passion. She was overcome with joy just thinking of spending the rest of their lives raising their child, and their children to come.

She winced a bit as she felt a short pang come from her belly. _Silly child, must have been punching,_ she thought. She glanced at the clock—seven minutes after four. Sighing to herself, she stood up gingerly to go to bed. _He'll be back tomorrow,_ she assured herself. She waddled by the door, checked to see that the gas on the lamp was adequate, and paced sedately towards their bedroom.

Halfway through the room, she leaned one hand on the wall and winced hard.

_Am I going into false labor again?_ She asked herself. Truly, she had gone into false labor earlier that night, a few minutes after the earthquake. The resident midwife had rushed to their home to tend to her. After about an hour, her husband came barging through the door, disheveled and unkempt. The midwife had assured both of them that everything was fine; that the earthquake must have elevated his wife's hormones and anxiousness to send her into labor.

She found herself gripping the side of the table hard. _It's just false labor... it'll go away soon,_ she panted, her face twisted in agony.

She was at their bedroom now. Her heart was pounding very fast, bullets of sweat were trickling down her forehead, and her whole body was shaking. "_Anata... anata..._" she called out weakly.

The throbbing sensation was getting stronger, the stabs of pain sharper. She found herself sitting on the floor by the foot of their bed, heaving and moaning. She crawled sideways towards the door, and then into the dining room, towards the living area, groaning every inch of the way.

When she reached the living room, she felt something inside burst and something wet trickled down the floor, wetting her smock.

Her water bag just broke.

She felt faint. Her vision was starting to dim. Instantly she knew that she was not into false labor; she had gone into the real thing. _No,_ she thought. _Not at a time like this..._

She had reached the sofa where she sat a while ago, and she propped herself to sit up, using the sofa as her back support. She could feel the life inside of her wanting to go out, eager to greet the world. But why now, at this hour? She bit her lip, moaning and patting her belly. She was about to give birth, and her husband was far away from her.

"_Anata... doko ni iru no?_"

- - -

"I can see the entrance now," he said to no one in particular. Truly, the light from the outside world had seeped into the cave's mouth to spill invitingly across the stone-hewn floor. The stillness in the thin air had been replaced by the softly flowing breeze from the trees. The man closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, happy that he was nearing his home. It had been quite a night, and from his personal point of view, things have only just begun.

He looked down upon the serenely sleeping girl cuddled upon his arms. Her thick lashes rested lightly upon her pale cheek, casting shadows in the dim glow of his sputtering torchlight. He smiled at Hitomi's sleeping form.

Hitomi fidgeted a bit and the heavy robe started to slip from her shoulders. The man then shifted her position so he could put back his robe that he had placed on her. Sighing contentedly, Hitomi snuggled deeper into her rescuer's arms, her chest rising and falling steadily.

At last, the two of them had finally got out of the mountain. The young man let out a sigh of relief as he walked along the hunting trail of the familiar forest. There was something in those caves that made him very nervous. He wasn't very fond of caves, he admitted to himself. He always did get the idea of being entombed in live rock.

He shuddered.

He looked up at the stained sky. The moon was quietly peeking along the horizon, as if checking to see if her lord the sun had already come up to try and chase her. True enough, the sky was now tinted with a muddy orange, signaling to her that she must now hide before the sun catches her in the sky. The man smiled and closed his eyes as he made a short, silent prayer. He was thankful that he had been given another day to witness a new dawn in his life.

He had killed the fire from his torch by then. There was no need to carry out that light, since it was practically morning. Besides, he could have gone through the forest and back even if he was blindfolded, if it was necessary. And, seeing that the torch was near to its demise, anyway, he had carefully tossed it away so he can better take hold of his charge.

His charge. The young man looked down upon Hitomi once again. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that the wounded young girl he was about to rescue was the woman from his past. Destiny was funny sometimes. It has a way of taking from us our most prized possessions, only to be given back when we least expect it. He shook his head and sighed. _At least I know she had been alright._

He took a long breath. The air is clearer here than it was in the caves, and he could make out a dozen or so different smells wafting through the cool breeze and into his nostrils. He glanced at the sleeping girl and raised his eyebrows worriedly. _I smell something burnt. Has she been in a fire recently?_

And then the ground began to shake. It wasn't too strong; more like a gentle rumbling, but it was enough to make the man fall to his knees. He had unceremoniously dropped Hitomi to the ground in the process, causing the said girl to make a face in her sleep. And then, just when the rumbling had come so quickly, it was gone again. The man waited for a few moments to make sure that the earthquake had died, stood up slowly, and looked behind him.

The entrance to the caves was now blocked by a dozen or so boulders.

The young man blinked. _Was it an aftershock? _He asked himself. _Or maybe it was just to..._ he trailed off. He shook his head to make such thoughts go away; he was in no position to think of anything that ridiculous. Still, he couldn't stop thinking about the sudden earthquake. _Did it really just happen to seal off the entrance? Was it the reason why the priestess asked me to hurry? _He thought deeply, his heart beating slightly faster. _Then, could it be that the reason why that mountain didn't seal itself off any sooner was because of..._ he turned around slightly. _...Hitomi?_

He turned back at the mountain, unbelieving. His eyes couldn't be deceiving him; he could clearly see the mouth of the cave from where they came from. And it was now blocked. Sealed. Forever shut inviolate.

"Ow," moaned a girl from behind him. The man snapped back to his senses. He turned around, facing the girl he had just rescued. "Why'd you have to drop me, Allen?" Hitomi asked, her face cast downwards, while her arm was bent backwards to massage her lower back. "You could have laid me down gently if I was too heavy for you." She propped herself on one arm and helped herself to sit up.

Then she met his clear gaze.

The young man smiled amicably. "Hello, Hitomi. It's nice to see you again."

Her eyes bulged. She lifted one shaking finger at him. "Y-you're _not_ Allen!" she blurted out, almost accusingly.

The young man laughed easily as he ran his hand through his hair. "No, I'm not," he replied, smiling broadly at the stricken girl in front of him. Hitomi's mouth dropped open. Who was this man?

And then there were voices, lots of them. Loud rustling could be heard from just a few meters away, followed by rushed footsteps. The young man's face shifted from happy to alert as he quickly knelt in front of Hitomi and fixed his robe that had fallen to the ground when Hitomi sat up. "Here," he said as he offered one of the sleeves of his robe. "Put this on."

Hitomi was dubious. "W-why?"

The young man smiled at her. "The priestess had asked me to save you and take you back, but it would be a little troublesome to explain to everyone the wings on your back, wouldn't you say?"

The honey-haired girl actually blushed, and obediently slipped her arms inside the loose sleeves of his dark blue robe.

As the shouts and footsteps drew nearer, the rescuer put one of his hands under Hitomi's knees and the other supporting her back. "Pretend to be sleeping," he whispered to her ear as he lifted her up. Hitomi nodded slowly and closed her eyes, though her heart was beating like a drum inside her chest.

One of the village men had stomped across a fairly-large bush and had seen what they were looking for. His aged face looked relieved when he saw the young man and the girl in his arms. "Thank the Gods!" he exclaimed. "We all thought you didn't make it out of that mountain before the aftershock. Come, we must hurry back to the village."

The young man nodded. "Thank you for your concern, master Okita," he mumbled sincerely as he walked towards the old man.

Okita caught up with him and held out his hands to take Hitomi from him. The young man hesitated for a moment, glancing about. "Oh, you don't have to take her, Okita-san," he said as calmly as he could. "She's not that heavy, and I'm not tired. Besides, the village isn't that far, and..."

"Amano!" a younger male came rushing towards them.

Hitomi's eyebrow twitched. _Amano? His name's Amano?_ She couldn't placate the feeling that his name felt oddly familiar.

The other male came up to the two older males, panting as he rested his hands on his bent knees. Amano turned his head to him. "What's the matter, Einosuke-kun? You seem to be in a bit of a hurry."

Einosuke shot his head up. "You'd better get back to the village as fast as you can, Amano!" he exclaimed.

Amano blinked. "Huh? Why?" he asked, dumbfounded.

The young boy strode forward and looked at him with an exasperated expression. "Because Yukari's into labor right now!"

Hitomi's eyes opened briefly then closed up again. _Yukari? Who is this Yukari? Is she his wife?_

Amano's face paled. His muscles tensed upon hearing this news. He hadn't even once thought that his wife could go into labor while he was away. Suddenly his being was filled with dread. _What's happening to her? How is she? Will she be alright?_ So many questions rumbled through his head. He held Hitomi tighter and sped through the forest, deftly ducking under braches and jumping over protruding roots. He had to be by Yukari's side!

"Amano!" the old villager Okita shouted after him. "Why didn't you leave the girl for us to carry?" he bellowed to his retreating form. The old man lowered his cupped hands from his mustached mouth and looked on with a puzzled face, followed by a still-panting Einosuke. "You could get home faster if you left her with us..." he mumbled to himself.

- - -

"Amano!"

Leaves rustled and branches snapped as Amano ran across the frequently used hunting trail back to the village. His chocolate hair streaming behind him, his eyes intent and more than a little worried. He was panting heavily, and sweat was beginning to trickle down his neck. By the way his arms were shaking, Hitomi figured that he must have been tired from carrying her all the way.

"_Amano_!" Hitomi screeched at him. "Amano, put me down! I can walk!"

They sped under the lush canopy of trees above. The sun was visible in the sky now, and sunlight broke into the cracks from the interlocking branches above them to reveal lovely pillars of light. The incessant buzzing and humming of insects were constantly in Hitomi's ears, only to be drowned by the rushing of wind created by her rescuer's speedy retreat home.

Hitomi bounced and jingled about from her position. As she bounced up when Amano jumped over a felled trunk, Hitomi decided that she's had it. She pulled out her thumb and pointer and did something to his arm.

"Ow!" Amano exclaimed, startled. In his apparent surprise he managed to drop Hitomi to the ground. Fortunately for her, the forest floor was carpeted by low grass, and so her fall wasn't as painful, somewhat. "What did you do that for?" he asked, rubbing the reddened spot from where Hitomi had pinched him.

"You weren't listening to me!" she winced, massaging her bottom. "I told you to put me down so my weight won't slow you down."

Amano hesitated. "But Hitomi, what about y—"

She cut him off before he could finish it. She pointed towards the rising smoke columns in the distance. "Your village is no more than a hundred yards away," she turned to look at him, smiling. "I'm not absolutely clueless, Amano. You need to be with your wife. I can walk from here."

Amano looked at her, panting. For a moment he was uncertain, as if making up his mind to just carry her like before. But the stubborn girl crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at him, so he finally conceded. "Alright, Hitomi," he sighed, giving up. "Just follow this trail. The village isn't very far. Don't let people see your wings. I know, you should come to me so I can show you to the te—"

The sandy-haired female rolled her eyes and gently nudged her savior's back. "I'll be _fine_, you really should get going! I'll be by your house."

"How will you know which one is ours?"

"It'll be the one with the most screaming," she grinned.

Amano blinked for a while, then he grinned back when he understood. He straightened up and ran into the village. "Be careful, Hitomi!" he said, his voice fading away.

Hitomi smiled and shook her head. Tugging at the ends of Amano's tunic snuggly, she soon started walking herself towards the humble little village that felt very familiar to her.

- - -

The aged Father of the angels slumped forward as he leaned his weary body on the marble balustrades of the observatory's open balcony. His head was hung low; his silvery hair being tousled by the softly blowing wind. He had lived for so many years, so many _thousands_ of years, and yet, not once did he feel that he was exhausted.

That is, until now.

He was devoid of emotion. He probed into his core only to find an echoing hollowness therein. He could not seem to feel any pain, joy, sorrow, remorse, regret, fondness... except for exhaustion.

Right now, he felt very, _very_ tired.

The Ancient Angel looked up into the moonless sky, his wrinkle-lined eyes scanning the skies for a specific star. He had found it after a while; it was a lonely star that had drifted apart from the others to rest on the very edge of the horizon. He had narrowed his eyes, strained them to see Folken's star as it shone sedately from its lonely vantage point among the heavens. In a few dying heartbeats, the star glowed into a dull gray, and then slowly shrank into insignificance; its light fading away as it vanished forever. Somewhere not very far from Folken's star, two brightly twinkling orbs have moved closer to one another, so close that they have started spinning, spinning faster and faster until they became one. And then, after giving off a final burst of intense starlight, the united stars shuddered, collapsed, and fell from the heavens in the form of a glorious shooting star, leaving specs of stardust along its milky trail.

And in that instant, Folken, Ontrose, and Kamion, were gone. And only he, the Ancient Angel, immortal and unassailable, was left there to lament and sear the heavens with his howls of grief all alone.

- - -

He had so many memories within the walls of the citadel. Fond memories, they were. He remembered when he had first crafted Folken; with the might of hundreds onto his single arm. He had fashioned him on a stormy night; from the eternal peaks which stood majestic and proud down on earth, and he was a well-wrought creation, Folken. He had that exact air or majesty and pride in him.

The Elder walked quietly along the now empty corridors of his castle. The torches were lit and roaring, flooding the entire place with warm light. And although it never snowed in Gaea, it was cold all the same.

As if on a pilgrimage, he wandered around the grim fortress, lingering inside rooms and the libraries and the kitchens where Folken loved. The ghosts of Kamion and Ontrose seemed to accompany him through each lonely hall, and it was as if he could still hear conversations echoing through the rafters on the ceiling. He went inside his son's quarters, tidying up the room, picking up discarded garments and quills and old books he used to read. And then, when it seemed that he could no longer take anymore at all, he ended up inside the forbidden section, in front of Folken's journal.

He stared at it for a long time, just standing there before the polished table. And then, finally accepting that everything had crumbled apart, he wept, and wept, and wept.

He was alone. His sons had one by one disappeared by his side, and the family that he had cared and loved for had been reduced into this single, lonely testament sitting patiently atop the table.

He sat down, his palms pressed hard over his puffy eyes. Never had he thought he'd see the day when he'd cry over his sons. Never had he thought he'd see the day when he'd feel so lost and empty. And then, after laying a fond hand over the textured hardbound cover of the blue book, he opened it, and began reading Folken's last present for him.

A single tear trickled down his cheek. _Forgive me, Folken._

- - -

"Good, Yukari! Now, just push a little more, push a little more, girl..."

Yukari pushed. She had been laboring even before the sun had peeked from the horizon, and here she was, laboring still. She had been exerting every last ounce of her strength into pushing the stubborn little life inside of her that she could even feel every drop of sweat that would bead up from her pores in slow motion. Sweaty, greasy red hair stuck from every angle of her pasty face, exacerbating her already irritable disposition. Her newly-sewn smock was now drenched with her sweat and assorted bodily fluids as she lay on the downy mattress of their shared bedroom with Amano.

"Push, Yukari, push!" the matronly midwife instructed her.

She took a deep breath, shut her eyes tight and locked her jaw as she moaned from the pain of childbirth. She already had four attendants about her—two were holding either hands while the other two wiped her forehead and fanned her—and half the whole village had camped outside their house, waiting with anticipation, but to her, the pains that she was going through was still hers and hers alone.

It was a single battle.

"One, two, breathe... _push_!" guided the silver-haired midwife.

Yukari felt numb all over. She believed that the pain was such that she had already begun sweating blood instead of water. Her white-knuckled grip became tighter with each push, and she had begun to bite her lower lip so hard that it had turned purple from all her pressure.

"Akemi, give Yukari something to bite into," ordered the midwife, not looking up from her crouched position.

A young, skinny girl of about fifteen nodded alertly and shuffled towards her instructress' bag. After a few moments she had retrieved a freshly-pressed piece of white cloth. She then folded the thick wooly material twice lengthwise and then twisted it until it resembled a cut piece of rope.

Akemi approached the groaning woman. "Please, miss," she apologized, and gently offered the white piece of cloth towards Yukari's mouth. Upon seeing it, Yukari gratefully obliged and bit into the cloth hard.

"Now push!"

Yukari's muffled screams echoed throughout the humble little village.

The old midwife kept on with a stern expression on her face. Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, trickling down the groove along her nose, coyly dangling about the very tip. Akemi, her young dark-haired niece, crouched beside her and wiped her face dry with a clean towel.

She shook her head as she let out a small sigh. "It's no use," she mumbled lowly. "She has only dilated so little; it'll be dangerous if we continue."

"Are you going to cut her open?" Akemi asked apprehensively.

The midwife pursed her lips and nodded gravely. "If we don't, we may lose both of them."

Akemi's face shifted from anxiety to pity. She looked at the pale-faced woman who was laboring with childbirth in front of her. She knew that she didn't have any authority, she didn't have the position to say that she understood what Yukari was going through, but somehow, she did. Yukari wanted her child to live, and that was something everyone else could relate to. At least, the two of them have one common ground; one little bond that could help the both of them to fully grasp the situation at hand.

Akemi nodded in agreement that they now have to do it "the other way". But when she stood up to fetch her instructress' operating kit, one terribly shaking but surprisingly firm hand grasped her own.

"No," Yukari said in a voice lower than a whisper.

She hesitated. "But, miss..."

"_No_," the red-haired woman stated more firmly. "My child will come out when he knows that everything's ready," she said weakly. "He will come out when Amano gets home."

"Yukari, we have to get the child out now," the midwife told her matter-of-factly.

She shook her head stubbornly. "No, Amano's still not home."

The midwife tilted her head towards her apprentice. "Akemi, get me my bag."

Akemi nodded and moved towards the tables but Yukari wouldn't let go of her arm. "No, you have to find my husband," she insisted.

The midwife narrowed her eyes. "Yukari—"

"Please find my husband!" Yukari burst out begging. Tears were running freely from her tired eyes. "Please find Amano for me..."

They all stared at the two women in silence. The old midwife's face was still frozen in that stern, strict expression while Yukari pleaded at her with unyielding eyes. Finally, the matronly midwife sighed, her face softening just a touch. "Akemi, wipe her face and keep a steady check on her pulse. Yukari, keep pushing. Ease the pain using short breaths," she instructed crisply before squatting down again.

The red-haired female nodded, closed her eyes and started gasping shallow breaths, wincing in pain. Her chest lifted and fell rapidly from all her laborious work.

"Just hold on, dear. Your husband will be home soon, and everything will be alright, you'll see..." came a soft murmur from somewhere at the end of her bed.

Yukari gave a small gasp of surprise at the gentle voice of the midwife. Her eyes snapped open for a heartbeat, and she smiled gratefully. She nodded. "Thank you," the woman breathed, afterwards her face contorted into one of pain once more.

_Anata, doko ni iru no?_

- - -

Amano raced through the forest trail as if he was on fire. His feet were taking him towards the place where his mind was. His thoughts were all focused on Yukari, his wife. A thousand 'what ifs' blurred across his mind. What if he doesn't get there in time? What if the midwife made a sudden, unexpected mistake? What if... what if Yukari couldn't make it?

Wishing his feet fly him home a little bit faster, Amano gulped in a deep breath and sprinted along the forest trail. His heart was hammering loudly against his chest, but not due to exertion, but because of the fears he had for his wife.

_I'm coming home... I'm coming home, Yukari!_

A few moments later, the welcoming gates of his hometown came into view.

"I wish I wasn't on shift today," whined the young boy perched atop the watch tower. He was on lookout duty that afternoon, and that made him unable to witness his aunt Yukari's big moment. He had planned months before to be with her when "it" finally happened; wiping her face, fanning her face, bringing her glasses of water, that sort of thing. But here he was, craning his head until they get dislodged from his neck just to catch a glimpse of her aunt's... window. He shook his head and sighed. "It's no use," he muttered dejectedly. He stood up and stretched his legs. Then he began kicking the bamboo tower with a sour expression on his face. "I still don't know why they insist on making me watch. It's not like someone important is going to come by, anyway!"

Five seconds later, he swallowed his own words.

He looked about below him, finding the whole street blocked by assorted townsmen and women. Scampering about the high ladder, he took everyone's attention with big, garbled hand movements. "Hey! Everyone! Move out! Move out!" he shouted, to the irritation of the merchants and their customers.

"What in blazes are you talking about, _boya_?" one particular elderly vendor demanded.

The boy sputtered, too choked up from his own excitement. "I said move out! Make way! Someone's coming through!"

The old man scoffed. "Oh, really? Who? The great goddess of harvest?"

"No!" the boy replied irritably. "Amano!"

And as if on cue, the father-to-be Amano came dashing from the forest and into the town, muttering excuses and apologies to any men, women and children he happened to step, nudge, push, or shove along the way.

He gave a startled oath. "S-Sorry about the oranges, grandfather Gen!" he shouted, limping as his left foot hit grandfather Gen's fruit stand. "I'll pay you back, I promise!"

"Go, go! Don't mind the oranges. Go to your wife, she needs you," the old vendor dismissed, ducking down to grab the oranges rolling off to the sidewalk. Amano gave a short bow of thanks before speeding off towards his house on the other side of town. "It's about time you got here!" he shouted after him, cupping his hands around his mouth.

The young watch boy came up to old Gen with an orange in one hand. They both watched Amano's retreating form silently. "Told you to move out, didn't I?" he said highly, peeling the orange in his hand.

Old Gen looked at him with a smile. "Your aunt will be alright now." He smiled tenderly, then he rapped the boy's head sharply afterwards. "You haven't paid for that orange yet. And you're supposed to be on duty!"

Yukari's sullen nephew climbed back up the lookout's tower, massaging the small lump on his head.

Amano traced the pebbled steps which led back to his little house. When he finally reached it, he found his front porch—plus a good ten meters surrounding it—to be occupied by most of his neighbors and curious onlookers, who all turned their heads in unison at the first sound of his hurried footsteps.

Amano's heart leapt to his throat. Why was everyone so silent?

_Am I too late?_ He screamed silently at himself. Picking his way through the crowd, it was as if he was a legendary hero who had just returned home. The mass of people blocking his path suddenly parted to give way to him, the expectant father-to-be. As he passed them, they looked on silently, following his head with wide eyes. The sound of his raging blood through his ears, Amano sped his way inside, passed by the living room, turned around the corner of the dining room, and into their shared bedroom.

Five female heads lifted to meet his gaze.

But he never acknowledged them. His eyes were fixed upon the tired form of his wife. Her face was chalky, paste-white, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her lips were pale, and with an unappetizing purplish tinge to them. Her then vibrant flaming red hair was now matted, limp and greasy, and it was spilled all over the sweat-soaked downy pillow underneath her head.

He was beside her in a heartbeat. He knelt beside her, intertwined his fingers with hers and stroking her hair. Yukari gave no response. She stayed perfectly still like a fragile porcelain mannequin on display.

"Is she...?" Amano mumbled, too afraid of his own words.

The old midwife sighed heavily. "She had been laboring for ten straight hours. She's lost all her strength." She shook her head. "I told her that I was going to have to operate on her, but she adamantly refused. She was waiting patiently for you."

Amano gazed back at his wife, her chest rising and falling almost imperceptibly. Gingerly he bent down and kissed his dear wife's cold forehead, at the same time giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Heavy eyelids fluttered slowly and settled upon Amano's worried face. Upon seeing him, Yukari's face lit up, a relieved smile and sigh escaping her lips. "Welcome home, Amano," she greeted him warmly.

"Yukari, everything will be alright now. I'm here with you," Amano whispered into her ear.

Shaking, Yukari's other hand got hold of Amano's and guided it to her grossly distended belly. He placed his palm firmly atop his wife's stomach, and Yukari rested hers on top of his hand. "Now our child also knows you're here," she whispered.

Amano could feel the warmth and life pulsating through her veins.

"Now everything is complete. I am content," she murmured, her heavy eyes closing and her face firmly fixed into that of absolute calm.

Of absolute peace.

Amano stayed with her, never leaving her side... just like the promise he had made when he vowed he would love, cherish and protect her till the end of his days.

The afternoon sun had risen high and mighty above the horizon, showering them with its welcoming warmth. Puffs of white clouds sedately rolled by along their blue highway, playing hide-and-seek with the frivolous sunbeams. The dark leaves of the ancient trees shook and swayed to the wind's music, filling the whole village with the fresh scent of damp earth, new wildflowers, and sun-ripened fruits. A little boy of about twelve was lying down with his arms crossed under his head was absently watching the fluffy white lambs skip across their vast azure pasture. "I wonder what has happened..." he mumbled to no one in particular.

The whole village had been quiet since Amano's return. What had happened to his aunt? Did he now have a cousin? He hungered for news so badly, he felt an inexplicable urge to leave his post and run down to the village.

"Don't even think about it," a quivering voice threatened him from below.

"Aw, Old Gen," he whined, climbing down the ladder anyway. "I just want to know how everyone's doing, that's all."

The wrinkled old man turned to look at him through slit-like eyes. "I know, my boy... we all do. But right now, we've got no choice but to wait."

And that was when she entered the village. Haggard face, unkempt and singed clothes and hair, Hitomi shuffled along the dirt trail, past the borders, under the arched gates, and into the merchandise-lined streets. Feeling an odd sense of calmness and familiarity within her, Hitomi never once felt that she was afraid. In fact, a small smile was tugging at her lips. There was a feeling of contentment inside her, a feeling very much like what one feels when one has first seen a rainbow, felt a cool sun shower, or has heard one's favorite song after a long time. Hitomi felt exactly like that. She felt that she was, in a sense, coming home. All the different sensations, sounds, smells and feelings bustling around her were like an ocean of memories, in which she swam into but was afraid of going in too deep. She was just merely content in knowing that she knew this place. She was just merely content in knowing that this was her past.

"Good afternoon," Hitomi greeted politely, bowing down briefly in front of grandfather Gen's fruit stand. She treated them all to a sunny smile before walking on, quite sure but not knowing how where she was going.

Old man Gen stood rooted to his spot, mouth agape as he craned his neck following the young lady who just passed by. Yukari's nephew bounded beside him, pouting as he put his hands on his waist. "Who was that?" he demanded suspiciously. "And why was she wearing Amano's robe?"

Grandfather Gen ruffled the surprised boy's head before even more outlandish thoughts formulated within his suspicious mind. "Hey! What did you do that for, grandpa Gen?" he asked incredulously.

The old man laughed. "She's not Amano's mistress, so stop thinking of her like that," he said.

"You know her?" he exclaimed, surprised.

Old Gen nodded. "I didn't believe that she was still alive, though... or that she would ever come back here," he mused. He broke off from his thoughts and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

He pouted. He still didn't like the idea of another girl wearing his uncle's clothing. "Who is she?"

"Hitomi Kanzaki. She grew up here."

- - -

_There was a rainbow in the sky._

_And I'm not talking about those puny, seven-speckled fragments that we usually see after a rain, I meant a full arch, from tip to tip. It wasn't everyday you get to see a fully-arched rainbow, so I guess it made this day kind of special._

_Actually, I had a hand in doing that... yes, yes, I know father hates it when we toy with weather, but he wasn't around anyway and I'm feeling sort of mischievous. So there._

"_Folken, good thing you're here," murmured the rich baritone voice of someone I knew all too well. "I need your help."_

_I smiled, my back still turned against him. "You usually need constant help, Van," I replied breezily. "What is it this time?" I asked as I turned around._

_My eyes widened in disbelief. I just couldn't believe _she_ was there._

_Hitomi, Van's human. Standing meekly behind her angel. Face flushed and eyes downcast, unable to meet gaze._

_And with good reason. For she could've melted with the questioning stare I was giving her._

"_Don't look at her like that," Van chided gently. "I was the one who asked her to come with me."_

_I sucked in a deep breath. "What are you doing here?" I asked her flatly, deadly calm._

_Van motioned to speak but his human tugged at his arm. Giving him a pleading look, he sighed and stepped aside. Eyes downcast, fingers toying with the hem of her blouse and with the same flushed expression, she hesitantly took a few steps forwards. "Um, Folken," she began._

"Sir_ Folken," I corrected testily._

_Van gave me a dirty look. I didn't care. I was bigger, stronger, and nastier than he was. Not that I'd really hurt him, but at least it threw his human off balance._

"_S-Sir Folken," she apologized, her cheeks turning into a lovely shade of deep pink. She kept bowing her head for apology. I didn't know whether to chuckle, laugh or guffaw, but years of constant training told me to frown. She really did look cute, though._

_Her blush deepened with my scowl. I kept trying to hide my twitching lips. Van must've seen the mirth in my eyes because he snarled at me and would have shredded me to pieces with his bare teeth. "Folken, you're _scaring_ her!"_

"_Well if she gets past me, she could get past every angel in Gaea." That was half-true. No one—and I mean _no one_—would dare confront her once she's gained my approval, lest they want to have a taste of The Folken-Glare. I'm not so sure about father, though. I didn't know what his stand on these turn of events was; I never really asked him. I guess it would be a bad idea to go up to him and say, "Hey, father! I just wanted to know how you'd feel if Van took his human here in Gaea, because guess what? That's _exactly_ what he's doing right now!" No, bad idea._

"_I came here because... because I wanted to see paradise..." she mumbled._

_I narrowed my eyes. "'Because I wanted to see paradise'. Did you know that you coming here has gotten Van into _serious_ trouble than you can imagine? He has broken one of the highest codes of Gaea! And for what? Just so you could _see_ paradise." I glared at her then, see if it had my desired effect._

_No, it didn't. "Y-You didn't let me finish," she said politely. "I wanted to see paradise because..." a shade of crimson crept up her neck. "...because I wanted to be a part of the world Van was in."_

_I fell silent. Go on._

"_I needed a release, a sanctuary. I didn't want to be in a place where those I loved despised me. Van said he could show me that such a place exists, if only I'd let him."_

"_I couldn't stand the beatings anymore," Van mumbled hotly. I happened to glance at Hitomi's wrists, and there were bruises and ligature marks there; signs that she have been tied up. Reflexively, she hesitated, and she hid her hands behind her back. "You told me that I couldn't interfere with her mother, so I interfered with her instead."_

_Now _Van_ received the full benefit of The Folken-Glare. Damn it, now he's making it sound as if all of this is _my_ fault. He grinned in his reply. That boy knew far too much._

"_I know what we did was pretty stupid, not to mention dangerous," the honey-haired human spoke again. "I know that I've put Van into considerable danger, but it's not only him who's taking risks." She glanced at me—a brave move. "I'm also putting myself into mortal danger, not to mention eternal damnation, but..." This time, she lifted her head, and looked at me full in the face for the first time. A small, almost imperceptible gasp escaped my lips. "That is a risk that I am willing to take," she stated with conviction._

"_And that is also a destiny I am willing to accept," Van echoed in._

_I was speechless. I have never seen such fierce eyes. Granted, they were sad-looking eyes, but the spirit that dwelled within those fathomless orbs was so strong it could have bawled a hundred angels. Never had I met any mortal or immortal with that kind of purity, that unyielding trust. The way she looked at my brother... it was as if she had surrendered to him completely; as if he had swallowed her whole and she accepted with wide arms. And Van was just as bad as she was. The way he looked at her, it was as if his soul, his entire core, his purest essence had been wrenched from his flesh and melded into Hitomi's. It was as if she was the air he breathed, the water and blood that was coursing through his veins. It was as if their lives weren't themselves anymore; but a part of an entirely bigger being in which they both shared. And looking at the both of them, I no longer saw an angel and a human; I no longer see two different individuals._

_There was only one._

_Is this what's called... love?_

_Van managed to tear his gaze away from her mesmerizing jade eyes and looked at me expectantly; his brewing depths imploring mine for an answer. After a few agonizing moments of edgy silence, I shook my head and sighed. "It's getting late. You'd better let her rest, Van, she might be tired." Great. I had not only let her inside Gaea, I also gave her the keys to the master's bedroom._

_But Van had looked so _happy_ that it made me want to scream and cry and run a sword through myself in frustration. He had embraced his Hitomi, kissing her hair and jumping like a child who had been given sweets. I watched the both of them with a sad smile on my face. Sure, they look happy now, but what when father finds out? Will I be able to bear seeing my brother hurt and broken in spirit? Hitomi had no place in paradise, not as long as she is in that frail body. There will come a time when the two of them would eventually be torn apart from one another. And then what? Van said it was a destiny he was willing to accept. But what about me? Was I willing to accept the destiny that was slowly unfolding before my very eyes?_

_There were two choices laid out in front of me on that day. Heaven help me that I chose the right one._

- - -

A young girl of about fifteen was seated in an easy chair at the living room of the Susumu residence at that time. A glass of cold water was sweating droplets in her hand, but her grip remained as secure as ever. A deep sigh escaped her lips as she passed a cotton towel on her forehead, wiping the sweat that had formed. She brought the glass to her lips to take another sip when another girl—quite a few years older than her—appeared at the doorstep.

They locked eyes. Large orbs of burnt chocolate entrapping vibrant green ones.

"—sically all she needs is a lot of bed rest. Healthy meals, lots of greens... she'll be fine." The aged lady with the thinning hair told him as they went out of the bedroom. Amano listened to her intently, his face very serious with his lips pursed and brows knotted that he didn't notice the new presence in the room.

The old midwife swung her head towards the doorway, where the slender girl with torn clothes and singed hair stood meekly. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Looks like you've got company, Amano."

The said man looked in the same direction and a pleased smile graced his features. "I'm glad you made it through by your own. I hope you didn't encounter any problems." The girl in question shook her head, her sunshine hair spilling around her head. He motioned for her to come in. "Please, sit yourself."

And she did. As she took her first few steps into Amano's neat household, the lovely dark eyes of the young girl followed her, never leaving her form.

The midwife gathered her things about her and huffed. "Well, we'd better be going," she patted the man on his back. "Congratulations, Amano."

Amino smiled and nodded in gratitude as she passed him on her way out. Stopping by her niece, she deposited a couple of her bags to her and beckoned for her to follow.

She hesitated. "Aren't you... Hit—"

"Let's go, Akemi," her aunt said blandly, cutting her off. "Let's not disturb Amano and his guest."

And with that, the elder lady went out the doors, with the young Akemi in tow. But before she went out herself, the dark-haired girl stopped, turned around and faced Hitomi.

"I don't know if you still remember me," she said. "But I'm very glad that you're well, Hitomi-oneechan," she smiled. "I always believed that you would come back, someday... I never lost hope."

Dumbfounded, Hitomi could only blink in reply when Akemi smiled and bowed before she left.

After a few moments of blessed silence, Amano spoke. "Would you like to take a rest?"

Hitomi smiled up to him and politely shook her head. "But... I'd like to see your baby, Amano, if that's alright."

He hesitated, his eyes darting everywhere. "The room might be a mess, Hitomi."

Her smile then widened. "I don't mind, really. It's the baby I've come to see, not the room."

Amano eventually gave in, and he showed Hitomi the way towards the bedroom where Yukari and the baby were. "Yukari might be sleeping," Amano said softly, watching Hitomi's reaction very carefully.

Hitomi nodded and opened the door.

Surprisingly, the two of them found Yukari to be completely awake, rocking the sleeping baby in her arms.

A wide, cheerful smile spilled across her face, Hitomi approached the mother and child. "You must be Yukari," she greeted. "Congratulations!" She looked at the baby and held out her hand. "May I?"

Yukari blinked and looked at her husband, surprise very much evident in her face. "Um, sure..." she mumbled, handing the blanket-wrapped bundle to the sunshine-haired female.

Hitomi took one look at the delicate child in her hands and she beamed. "Oh, she's beautiful!" she gushed, cradling the baby tenderly. And indeed, she was. A short crop of red hair just like her mother's, and a strong brown-eyed gaze from his father. She has her mother's chin and her father's nose, and, so far, she had a sunny disposition. Hitomi couldn't help but fall in love with the adorable little creature.

Swaying the sleeping baby to some unknown music, she spoke. "What are you going to call her?"

Amano smiled. "We have already decided on the names long ago. Tenchi if it was a boy, Megumi if it was a girl."

Hitomi stopped for a while, a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes. "Megumi... 'a blessing'," she murmured.

The auburn-haired man nodded. "She certainly is a blessing to us," he smiled.

Yukari was still looking at the gently swaying Hitomi with that confused, surprised expression. "Um... you're Hitomi, right?" she asked tentatively, very carefully.

Hitomi, who was now humming to the drowsy child, opened her eyes. "Hmm? Oh, yes," she answered absentmindedly.

Her answer only made Yukari even more confused, and she turned to her husband for support. But Amano, who also didn't know that much about what was happening, could do nothing but stare back.

Finally content in her chance snuggling with the baby, Hitomi approached the bed and carefully reached out to hand back Megumi. But as Yukari's hand reached forth, her soft fingers brushed Hitomi's arm, sending jolts of electricity within her as memories long lost came flooding back.

She could see them. All of them. They were all just little kids, all so carefree. She would sneak outside her mother's hut while she was sleeping, to where Amano waited patiently outside her window.

They would run towards the river, by the foot of the mountain. There they would spend the whole day molesting fish and chasing dragonflies. Amano, who could hold his breath underwater longer, would dive into the river and emerge with a handful of iridescent shells, while Hitomi, who was smaller and more agile, would climb up the trees and picked fruit and leaves and curiously-shaped twigs.

It was by the same river that a promise had been made; a pinky-promise of two innocent children of not leaving one another forever, of being together until the end of their days.

Hitomi's eyes misted. She finally understood. She finally remembered. Her back throbbed. Blood was oozing out of her wings, where a fresh new piece was forming and attaching itself. Her shoulders shook and she instinctively burrowed her face in her hands, tears spilling out uncontrollably.

Suddenly it made perfect sense. Her and Amano. Amano and Allen. And then, her and Allen.

Without knowing why, or, more importantly, how, Yukari and Amano realized that Hitomi just remembered who they were, and how possibly scandalous their situation was.

Hitomi had been engaged to Amano. They were supposed to be married when she was sixteen, with her best friend Yukari Uchida as her maiden of honor. Hitomi was Amano's first love, and he hers, and they had promised to each other that they would always be together forever. A promise made by two innocent children on the night fireflies outnumbered the diamonds in the sky.

Hitomi looked at the sleeping child in Yukari's arms and wept anew, her chest filling with a sense of overwhelming loss. _It should have been mine._

Yukari, feeling very much ashamed and guilty, sank deeper into the downy mattress of their bed. "I had always watched," she mumbled so softly, it was almost like a whisper.

Hitomi continued sobbing silently but made signs that she was listening. Yukari went on. "I wasn't allowed by the doctors to go outside, unless the sun gets too strong and I get a heatstroke. I would always look out this window... and I had always watched."

She gulped slowly, speaking very carefully. "Before, Amano was my only friend. He and the holy priestess would come visit me everyday. He would play with me, make me laugh; make me temporarily forget about the pain in my chest when I cough, or how dizzy I get from laughing too hard. I didn't care. Those were the happiest days of my life.

"But when you came, Amano visited me less and less frequently. I would gaze outside my window and see him with a strange girl with wheat-colored hair. I felt angry at myself for being too weak. I knew I was jealous. I was jealous of this girl with Amano; I was jealous of them having fun, while my whole life I was trapped within the four corners of this bed.

"When Amano couldn't visit you, he'd come to me instead. But I was still happy, thinking that we'd play and be like what we were before. But when he gets here all he ever wants to do is to talk about this amazing girl, Hitomi. He'd tell me all sorts of things, like how nice she is, or how funny she is, or how brave she is... it made me feel so insecure, not being able to prove myself to him that, I could be those things! I could be just like her! It made me hate myself even more. If only I wasn't born with this _accursed_ body! If only I wasn't always so sick!

"And then one night, two kids broke into my room through the window and shook me awake. I was so surprised! It was Amano and Hitomi, grinning at me, pulling me up, and shushing me while they helped me climb back down. I was exhausted, my heart felt like it was about to drop to the floor, but I was thrilled at the same time. I have never been exhilarated in my entire life. It felt like my very own adventure. I asked them where they were taking me, and they said it was a surprise.

"They took me to the river, and I was completely shocked... the whole river was like sparkling liquid gold! I have never seen so many fireflies in my entire life. It was so precious. It was so beautiful...

"And then, Amano whispered something into my ear—" she broke of into a tearful sob and wept. "—he told me, that it was you, Hitomi, who had planned on sneaking me out. It was you who kept pestering Amano to smuggle me out of my horrible prison. I cried then. I felt so ashamed for thinking such bad things about the one person who set me free.

"And that's when I decided. I decided that I would live my life not only for Amano, but for Hitomi as well. I decided that I'd be her shadow... a shadow that would always be there for her, to repay her kindness.

"And so when Amano told me the news, I gladly accepted to be the maid-of-honor on your wedding—" she said it with so much sincerity, but in her eyes a faint glimmer of sadness sparkled. "It was an honor to attend the wedding of my two best friends...

"But then you... you suddenly disappeared, Hitomi, and I..." she whispered, trailing off while her eyes clouded with tears.

Hitomi wept new tears, burrowing her face into her hands even deeper. After a few minutes of dignified crying, she straightened herself and approached Yukari's bed with a steely expression, stopping a few inches before the edge.

"I knew it wasn't my place to take him... I waited for years after he proposed... I kept thinking that I shouldn't since I know how you felt about him and the promise he made," she sniffed. "But... but I thought you were _dead_, Hitomi, and so I thought... I thought it would be alright for me to marry Amano, even though I knew it's not my place..."

Hitomi still didn't say anything. She just listened with her calm façade.

Yukari wrung her hands nervously. "If... if you want me to leave him, Hitomi, I would do it, you know I would..." she muttered insistently to her, a firm look on her face, but her eyes were pleading, shaking in fear.

Nobody moved or even spoke for the longest time. The soft humming of insects were the only sounds that could be heard in the distance.

"Since when?" Hitomi asked softly all of a sudden.

Amano and Yukari looked at her.

Hitomi lifted her face and gazed at Yukari, her eyes unreadable. "Since when have you loved Amano?"

Yukari wanted in her heart to avert her gaze, but found out that she could not. Her lower lip trembled as two tears fell from melancholy and empty eyes. "Ever since the first day I saw him outside my window," she whispered.

Hitomi didn't reply, but pursed her lips.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Hitomi, I—"

"You mean," Hitomi said softly, cutting off Yukari's words. "You mean... I'm now an auntie?"

Yukari's lip trembled, her cheeks gracing a telltale blush. With a wail of emotions mixed with joy, relief and undying gratitude, she caught Hitomi into a one-handed embrace, while the honey-haired girl snaked her arms around her old friend's neck, weeping openly. It was then Yukari felt for the first time the thing that was bulging from Hitomi's back. It came as no surprise to her that she felt the feathers on her wings, for right now, Hitomi was very much like an angel who came from the very heavens to ease all their suffering.

And Amano stood there, eyes a multitude of emotions as he watched with wonder what just transpired. He now knew that he was so blessed to have all these loved ones—all the women in his life.

- - -

_I stared at the confines of our shared quarters with my brother. "What are you doing here, Van?" I asked with a sigh._

_A slight jolt coursed through his body. Slowly, the surprised and flushed caramel-skinned angel turned around to face me. "Uh, Folken!" he greeted nervously._

"_Yes, thank you for reminding me of my name." I approached him, eyes looking for clues. Van was clutching something—a piece of pheasant-colored cloth stained with what looked like... blood? "What is that?" I asked irritably._

_I edged closer to where he stood—by the corner beside the double-bunk beds. As I approached the dimly-lit room, the shadows lifted and the whole bed came into view. Wide, luminous verdant orbs were like beacons of light in that darkness. "Hito—!" I turned to Van. "Van, what's the meaning of this!"_

_Van didn't answer; he averted his eyes from my questioning gaze and a deeper blush crept up his neck. The muscles on his bare chest tightened as he clutched at the bloodstained material tighter._

_I was lost. I was dumbfounded. I-I-I was hyperventilating. I was shocked. I mean... heavens, it's a boy and a girl _alone _in the dark! "Why can't you answer me?" I bellowed, snatching the material from Van's hand. "What is this?"_

_After spreading the cloth, I realized it was a loose-necked common blouse—Hitomi's blouse. The backside of the piece of clothing was torn to shreds, and there were bloodstains on it._

_I gave Van a meaningful look. "The whole story, Van. Unabridged version, don't spare any details," I said calmly, dangerously._

_He gave me a sidelong glance, and then he sighed. He retrieved a tinderbox from his desk and lit a candle that was on top of it. The ruddy glow of the candle chased away the shadows to reveal a slender girl sitting atop Van's bed._

_I looked at her in shock._

_Van held out his hand and she took it as she inched her way towards the edge of the top bunk. When she had dangled her legs over the bed, Van held her middle and lifted her easily off the bed, placing her carefully down the floor._

_I was still in shock._

_She was wearing one of Van's old shirts—those red ones with the cut-up sleeves, they were his favorite. They had been too small for him a long time ago but it fit Hitomi suitably now. But what made those shirts so wonderful to wear was that they had slits on the back._

_Slits where her wings now peeked through._

"_Van!" I roared, anger bubbling inside of me. I got hold of his shoulders and gripped tight. Had he been wearing a shirt with a collar, I would have grabbed it and shook some answers out of him._

_He didn't answer me. He didn't look at me. Damn it, he didn't do _anything

_I turned my attention to his human—nono, his _angel_. "You're going to have to leave," I told her flatly._

_She looked up at me—amazing hue of green. "Don't misunderstand me, Hitomi," I explained a little bit softer. "I am only looking out for Van's sake. If Father finds out about this, he'd surely kill you, and then what?"_

_She stood there silently, quaking in every feather. After what seemed like an eternity, she answered. "I understand."_

"_I will come with you," Van declared automatically, his hand finding hers. I closed my eyes as I heard his voice. _This is what I've feared for so long.

_Now do you see it too, father?_

_I nodded. "I'll fetch you a cloak."_

_As I fumbled through my closets, the door of our room creaked open and the light from outside flooded in. "Lord Van, there are some things the registry needs with..."_

_I gasped inaudibly. He stood there, mouth agape. Hitomi was clutching Van's arm._

_The world slowly dissolved before my very eyes. It was at that particular moment it dawned so clearly upon me._

_I had made the wrong choice._

- - -

Amano made breakfast for them, although no word of command or acceptance was spoken. It just came to him naturally like breathing or blinking; it was a mutual understanding between the three of them that morning. What transpired last night—the rekindling of Hitomi's memories—was something very magical, it had made an impact to all of them, and so he bothered not to disturb the ladies with their bonding.

Neither of them uttered any other word after those said events. Hitomi and Yukari seemed totally content in merely sitting close together while admiring the baby. Their faces held that look of absolute peace and calm, of absolute contentment.

Amano had called them softly to the table, and the girls went out after setting the dozing Megumi back on her crib. Yukari had her hand cupped with Hitomi's, and they had those warm smiles on their faces all throughout their meal. Occasionally one woman would get misty-eyed; temporarily letting go of the other's hand to dab her eyes with the hem of their kerchiefs. It was all very emotional, even though everyone was trying their best to control their emotions. Amano could feel his heart soaring. Here he was, thinking about his outlook on his life a few years before—when he had taken Yukari for his wife two years after Hitomi's disappearance. He had received the reproachful eyes of the village, resulting in their almost exiled status. And Yukari had it in worse; she was denounced by every person in the village as a whore, a backbiting bitch, that men would spit at her feet and women would hide their children away from her.

The years have mellowed out the village's displeasure, and all was normal again after Yukari had announced that she was with child. But the shame and guilt that continued to ebb within them would not wash away, especially for his wife. There were times when Amano would accidentally catch her weeping over the sink, or having that haunted, melancholy eyes as she stared off in the distance. Amano would feel a sharp pang of a knife being thrust into his chest with each time, and he could do nothing. Nothing but to continue living their life together which he believed was doomed right from the start.

But here she was, the girl from his past which has come back to set him free. Hitomi sat across him on the dining table, smiling happily and rubbing her shoulder against Yukari. He had never thought that he and his wife would someday be finally set free, but then again, he never thought Hitomi would come back from the dead, either.

Amano sighed deeply. He had so many things to be thankful for.

Yukari decided to be playful and burrowed her fingers inside Hitomi's exposed wings. Hitomi giggled childishly and flapped them away, but Yukari insisted on tickling her ticklish new appendage. The women had spent the morning bathing each other, with Yukari brushing the dried blood and dirt from Hitomi's wings. Together they emerged from the baths cleansed—in every aspect of the word—and smelling of rosewater. And then, as if on a ritual, the two then proceeded in bathing Megumi afterwards.

And then, a mild, sweet odor filled the room. It was the smell of a forest after a sun shower, like the scent of candles and mint. Hitomi turned around in her chair to the direction of the lulling fragrance, and that was when she saw her.

Amano and Yukari stood up, bowing in respect. "Holy priestess," Amano greeted.

Hitomi looked at Amano then back at the priestess. She studied the slender woman standing at the door. She was quite tall, and had that nurturing aura about her albeit her slender built. She was wearing a plain white robe and pleated red skirt, the hems of which reached down to her ankles, showing a pair of clean white socks and ordinary wooden sandals. The priestess had creamy pale skin—almost chalk white. And her hair which was like waves softly flowing down to her waist were of the same curious color—white that shone blue where the light never touched.

But what struck Hitomi the most other than her otherworldly appearance were her eyes—or lack thereof. The priestess was wearing a strip of white cloth over her eyes. And, although the sun had not fully risen and they were indoors, her one pale hand was cupped above her brow, shading her face from the mellow morning sunshine.

She smiled. "Before anything else, I want to congratulate the both of you for your blessing."

Yukari bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, priestess."

The priestess inclined her head slightly. "Please, let us not choke over the formalities. You may call me by my name."

Amano smiled. "If you wish, Sora."

Hitomi blinked. Something about that name had clinched something inside her head.

The blindfolded priestess Sora stretched out her arm to the winged Hitomi, and when she spoke, it was in a strangely choral voice that made Hitomi want to weep and laugh and scream at the same time. "Girl of Destiny, are you ready to come to me?" she asked.

Hitomi blinked in confusion and looked at Amano for help.

"She was the one who told me where to find you, to save you," he explained. "I was wondering why she didn't come see you yesterday. I guess she was giving us a few moments alone together."

Sora nodded before speaking in that choral voice again. "It is crucial for the Girl of Destiny to face her past." She leveled her face with Hitomi's. "And now it has come for you to finish it."

- - -

The Ancient Angel sighed deeply, the folds and creases on his face becoming clearer. He had firmly set Folken's journal on the table, his hand resting upon its hard intricate cover for a moment. In a minute he took a deep breath and passed a weary hand over his eyes. He hadn't realized how tired he was.

Tired. Perhaps the years have finally caught up with him.

Standing up, he straightened himself, and the chair, and the table. Lastly he took the blue journal and proceeded to placing it back to the back shelf, but he hesitated. He changed his mind. He kept it instead, tucking the heavy volume under one arm as he finally pulled the door shut. He glanced at the discarded lock and chains on the floor and dismissed the idea—there was no point in keeping this room inviolate now.

As he passed the high-arched windows of the bleak hallway leading to his chambers, the Ancient Angel stopped and looked absently at the floor. Something about the reality of what the journal said unto him gnawed at his conscience.

It was Folken. He had been banished for helping Van and Hitomi escape that day. And yet Folken did that out of his love for Van, for Gaea.

And he banished him. For what? For loving his family.

His eyes misted over, and he turned to face the ocean of stars twinkling sedately above him. "I'm sorry, Folken," he murmured. "If only I had listened to you right from the start."

He sighed, and his eyes skimmed over the thousands of diamonds in that nighttime sky. And then, his gaze fell upon a single star that was blazing intensely in the middle of the heavens. A star so bright, it could drown out the other lights in its brilliance.

It was Hitomi's star.

And that was when he decided. He would do what he felt what would be best for them. He would do what needed to be done.

_What my son Folken would have wanted to be done._

And so, as the Elder firmly shut the tall ornate doors of his bedroom, his decision has also been firmly made.

Yes, he would meet the human girl Hitomi, and he would then wash his hands of anything that destiny will set into motion.

- - -

Hitomi lifted her gaze and scanned the ancient yet distinguished-looking structure looming above her. The façade of the temple—as with most of the village—was made from dense dark wood, which was a lovely contrast to the bright red paint on its roof and massive gate pillars. Tall and wide slats which served as windows among the upper floors were closed against the bright afternoon light, which to Hitomi seemed very unusual since she could see other priestesses ambling about.

"Girl of Destiny," Sora said, snapping Hitomi's head and attention back down with her. She looked at the woman who had just called her—she assumed right from the start that it was her Sora was talking about—with that vast choral voice. The blindfolded priestess had turned back to face her, her lips into a gentle smile, assuring the sandy-haired female that she needed not to hurry. Sora held out a hand, though, and out of politeness rather than anything, Hitomi felt the pressure to continue their walk.

The inside of the temple was a complete contrast to the world outside. How all those devout men and women moved along in that unbelievable obscene dimness came as a mystery to her. _They all must have gotten used to it, I guess,_ Hitomi's brain racked. Heavy magenta curtains diffused whatever sunlight broke through the wide slats, and the gauzy veil of candle smoke that hung above them seemed to darken the temple halls even more.

Hitomi was constantly looking about. There were a number of priestesses walking sedately this way and that, but paid little or no attention to them, except maybe to bow and pay their respects to their blindfolded priestess. Then they would go along on their way, walking slowly but with purpose. If there were people who saw Hitomi's wings—and there _were_, of that she was sure—they apparently did not mind at all.

Sora somehow sensed Hitomi's discomfort and her pale hand reflexively reached forth and touched the girl's cheek. Hitomi gasped softly at the gesture. No one had touched her with so much love before. "I apologize for the darkness, Hitomi," she said softly, the choral voice surprisingly completely gone. "I could have them open a few windows, if you'd like."

The honey-haired girl faced the priestess and opened her mouth to reply, but found out soon enough that no words would come out. Her eyes simply fixed themselves unto Sora's, and she had finally noticed that the priestess had taken off her blindfold. Hitomi stared, quite taken aback if not mesmerized by the sheer force of those orbs. Sora's unseeing eyes were oddly colorless, but the depth and otherworldly brightness contained within them were eternal.

"Hitomi?" Sora asked, inclining her head in worry.

The said girl blinked to sever the hypnotizing connection of her eyes. She smiled and shook her head. "It's not necessary, Sora," she said simply.

Satisfied, the blind priestess took Hitomi's hand once again and led her through the endless succession of dark hallways.

Hitomi had just fully realized just how much the whole temple—the whole _village_—depended of this tall, unusual woman. The thought came upon her now as she viewed the temple in another light. Tall doorways, wide smooth floors, fixed grooves on the walls for hand support—even the extreme lighting conditions everyone must have endured and simply gotten used to—were all for the benefit and aid of Sora.

So, who exactly _is_ she?

They had finally stopped in front of an ordinary-looking sliding door situated on the top floor, near the ceremonial chambers downstairs. Sora led her inside to where Hitomi believed was her room, which on close inspection was only a small space with a floor mattress, a small chair and table, and a simple dresser. Hitomi disapproved of the fact that this bare room was the living quarters of a priestess so highly revered, but she prudently kept her opinions to herself. She did not know if these people have religious objections against luxury.

As Hitomi let her eyes wander—there wasn't very much to look at—Sora slid the door firmly shut behind her. As the winged female turned to face her and to ask her questions as to why she was taken there, Hitomi was quite surprised when all of a sudden, the pale-haired priestess flung her arms around her and locked themselves in a tight embrace.

She was shaking. "Oh, Hitomi," Sora murmured. "Look at you now! I have been so worried about you."

Hitomi blinked, off-balance. "What are you saying?" she then noticed then that the priestess was now weeping softly. "Oh! Sora—Sora, are you alright? What's wrong?" Hitomi asked worriedly.

Gingerly, Sora disentangled her arms from Hitomi, wiping away the tears with the back of her finger. "I am just so happy to see you again."

"See me?" Hitomi squeaked. "But how is that possible when you're b—" she stopped abruptly, her mind finally catching up with her runaway mouth.

"Blind?" Sora finished for her, smiling a bit. Hitomi felt her cheeks get warm. The most perfect way to embarrass herself was to point out the obvious that everybody else would step around carefully upon. To her surprise and further bafflement, though, Sora laughed—a cleansing, easy laugh. "You only say I'm blind because I cannot see the world around me," she smiled, touching Hitomi's arm fondly. "But I _do_ see. I see some things that are far greater than this world. And that is the reason God made me without eyes. I can see the things other people could not. That is why He took them; to give me a better pair instead."

Sora led her to a low chair while Hitomi was still mulling over what Sora had just said. Merle and the twins have said something similar to her. To look with the eyes other than human ones. Is that what she was talking about? Did Sora and the cat-people have the same ability?

"You've grown," the blind woman noted, and Hitomi just realized that she had sat herself on the mattress on the floor. Somehow the question seemed more profound to her than the physicality it was intended for.

The blonde girl fidgeted in her seat. "Um, Sora," she began, grasping for straws. "Why exactly am I here?"

Sora smiled briefly. "Hitomi, you of all people should know that."

Hitomi gave her a baffled look, which felt absurd seeing as how the blind priestess would never see it.

"Hitomi, what is it you seek?" the pale woman asked softly.

She thought it over for a split-second. "I seek the truth... and paradise," she added.

The priestess made a wry face. "Why do you speak of them differently? Are they not the same thing?"

Hitomi could not place if the question was rhetoric, or a statement to mock, but nevertheless, she could not answer the question.

The priestess Sora stood up from the floor and smoothed the front of her skirt. "Not all who seek the truth can attain it," she said, walking towards the curtained window. "Only those who are purified can find the truth they seek."

Hitomi listened quietly to her melodious voice, watching her every movement. From where Sora stood, the light and shadows which danced upon her features gave her an almost otherworldly appearance. The priestess then turned to face her fully. "Hitomi, do you wish to be cleansed?"

Unsure of what was going to happen next, Hitomi answered slowly. "Yes."

For a few moments, Sora stood there gazing at her with unseeing eyes. Then, her hands gently made their way to Hitomi's cheeks, cupping her face.

She smiled so tenderly, it almost made Hitomi's heart break. "Hitomi... a very fitting name," she murmured.

The honey-haired female blinked.

"Do you not remember it? I was the one who named you. _Hitomi. Eyes_." A look of overpowering sadness flitted across her face. "Such beautiful eyes. It's a pity your mother never saw how beautiful they are."

She blinked again. "My mother?" she echoed.

Slowly, Sora took back her hands, letting them fall to her sides. She stood up straight and faced the window. "Did you not know? Your mother did not want you, Hitomi, she did not even want you to be born."

Upon hearing those words, Hitomi felt a stabbing pain deep inside her chest. It was very much different from all the kinds of physical pain she had experienced. This one was sharper, stronger; it cuts deep into the soul.

She lowered her head and clasped her hands atop her knees. "I see," she mumbled blandly, though deep inside she was ready to burst.

Sora went on. "She would leave you here at the temple everyday after you were born, not even bothering to check up on you. When we finally convinced her that is was her duty to take care of you, she reluctantly took you back, but ended up beating you over and over again."

A flash of pain. _That would explain the nightmares._ A little girl crying. Blood spatters on palms. Bruises on the corner of the mouth. Broken vases and shattered glass. A long, battered wooden rod with a twisted handle...

Both were very silent for a long while. Sora just stared out at her unseen universe sadly while Hitomi kept trying to forget that her mother, her own flesh and blood, did not want her.

Of course, trying to forget only forced her to remember it more.

Finally trusting herself to respond, the sandy-haired girl opened her mouth to speak. "Why?" she croaked.

Waves of bluish-white hair danced as Sora turned and faced her. She was looking at Hitomi with so much sadness. But she knew this was going to happen someday. It _has_ to happen. Hitomi _has_ to know of her past.

She knelt in front of her and firmly placed her hands atop Hitomi's. And then, she told her in the gentlest way imaginable. "You were a rape child, Hitomi."

- - -

It was dark. Young Chiaki made her way through the labyrinthine forest trails. She had gone up to the mountains picking the flowers to be used on her wedding the next day, gotten lost of the time and came down when the sun was about to set.

Chiaki brushed a strand of deep brown hair, tucking it behind an ear. Her eyes were trained to the ground, where a carpet of richly colorful earthy leaves lay crunching beneath her feet. They were the color of her hair—the color of autumn. A shiver went through her and she pulled the shawl about her shoulders a bit more snuggly; it reminded her that winter was fast approaching.

She took her steps slowly, carefully. She knew these trails; she would not get lost. But there could be a number of rocks twigs strewn about, and she didn't fancy tripping down and breaking her nose. If her eyesight granted her a clearer vision, she could have walked in a statelier pace, but the result of working as a weaver denied her that.

Suddenly her body went rigid. She had heard a twig snap somewhere. But she did not feel anything under her feet. Resisting the urge to turn around and look, she just clutched her basket tighter and went on.

_Snap_. There it goes again! Chiaki stopped abruptly, her heart thundering. In a span of minutes, the forest she had spent her whole life in seemed so alien now.

_Snap, crunch._ This time, she was sure; she wasn't even moving. Panic rising in her throat, Chiaki ran dead on into the night, uttering a silent prayer that she be safe.

And then she felt the wind rushing past her.

She was face flat on the hard forest floor. She didn't break her nose, but great God, she was scared senseless.

Two rough hands grabbed her shoulders and forcefully turned her around, pinning her on her back. Just as when she was about to scream, his hand clamped down hard over her mouth, almost choking her. She could feel him kneeling over her. Then she began to thrash about, kicking and screaming muffled cries for help.

And that was when a sharp, stinging pain shot across her cheek as he had slapped her hard with the back of his hand.

Her mind went totally blank. Her body stiffened, rigid and motionless against his obscene advances. Her mind was now as dark as the forest around her.

She felt him rip her robes open, the cool night air touching her damp skin. She felt his rough hands rake her naked body, kneading her flesh, its warmth not comforting, but scalding to the soul.

In her mind she was somewhere else. In her mind, she was not experiencing this horrendous thing that was happening to her. She was picturing her wedding day. How perfect everything looked. Everyone looked so happy, so expectant and jubilant at this union of two hearts, the mending of two souls. She saw herself, all dressed up in that beautiful ceremonial dress that was made white in color, the color of purity, the purity that she did not have. As she continued imagining herself, she felt him ease himself between her legs.

She could feel him breathing raggedly against her neck, her breasts. He had torn away her clothes. She could feel the cold nakedness that she had been preserving, saving as the ultimate gift to her husband-to-be.

_Hiroto_. She thought of Hiroto.

She felt her eyes cloud with tears. What was she going to tell him? What is he going to do now? Tomorrow was their wedding day, supposedly the happiest day in her life. But why now? Why this? Is this some sort of cruel joke?

She felt his body press against hers. She could feel him forcing his way through her; stubbornly seeking entrance... the pain was unbearable. She felt her flesh torn apart, a searing sensation coursing through her body, and into her soul.

He had won. He had his way with her, over and over again. She felt like a whore for staying rigidly still, but there was nothing she could do. Nothing she could feel. He ran his mouth and tongue all over her, his sickening scent clinging to every part of her body. He would bite her savagely in some places that her soft skin burst and bled. But she was numb, so numb... as numb as a corpse. So very fitting. In some aspects, she was very much like a corpse, dead in all senses, devoid of anything particularly resembling life.

The beautiful leaves underneath her crushed and broke apart into a million fragments. The wind blew past and the scent of autumn filled her nostrils. A shiver ran through her body; it reminded her that winter was fast approaching.

In one instant, her entire future, her entire life, everything, has been shattered.

Chiaki lay motionless on the ground, defiled and defeated, body bleeding and bruised, aching all over the place. For several minutes she laid there, eyes staring blankly at the fathomless darkness above her. She was still breathing, yes, but she was not alive, not anymore. From that night onward, Chiaki considered herself dead.

And then finally, when all was lost and the whole world became still and quiet once more, she cried. It wasn't those sniffling, petty little girl cries, but the kind that comes from deep within, inside your core. It was the kind of powerful sob that sucks you in and spits you out whole, leaving nothing intact. It was the kind that leaves you exhausted, leaving you empty and hollow, as if you were just a mere shell of someone who had finally released their soul free.

Her fingers clutched the frayed edges of the discarded shawl, and in the midst of her wracking sobs, she managed to utter a small cry to the heavens.

_Kami-sama, watashi o mimamottenasai._

_Watashi no kokoro o iyasu kudasai._

_Tsuyosa o watashi ni kureru._

_Kami-sama, watashi o mimamottenasai._

_Watashi no kokoro o iyasu kudasai._

_Tsuyosa o watashi ni kureru._

_Kami-sama, watashi o mimamottenasai..._

- - -

Hitomi sat quietly, her head bowed down low, hands still clasped on top of her knees while Sora told her how they found her mother on her wedding day, wide-eyed and speechless, deep in shock, wrapped only with a shawl.

The honey-haired girl gulped. "And I... I was the child born of that incident?"

The priestess turned to her and nodded. "Yes."

Her eyes clouded. Drops of salty water began to fall one by one, wetting her skirt. She still could not believe that she was just a product of rape; an unplanned incident. An unwanted child. A mistake in destiny. A cosmic anomaly.

That she was just a ghost entity.

Finally breaking apart, she wailed. Her whole body slackened and shook as she burrowed her face in her hands, her useless sobs echoing against the bare walls of the blind woman's room.

Sora rushed to her and knelt down, her arms encircling her with their comfort. Hitomi clung to her, sobbing her heart out. Sora—solid, dependable Sora—rocked her back and forth like a child, stroking her hair and murmuring words in her ear.

"Don't cry, Hitomi, don't cry," she murmured coaxingly. "Can't you see? You were a God-given gift. Your mother could not see past what you are, but I could, Hitomi, I could. You were a gift. You were born special."

Hitomi's head shot up, jade eyes flashed with anger. "You say I was a gift. Then why was it that my mother hated me?" she spat, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sora, ever patient, gathered her in her arms again, cradling the winged girl's head onto her neck. "Your mother... she hated you because you looked like the man who sired you."

Hitomi's body stopped shaking; it stiffened instead.

"Your mother hated your sandy hair, and your emerald eyes," she explained. "Especially your eyes. She used to say that every time she looked at you, she would be reminded of the green-eyed devil who raped her."

Hitomi didn't speak.

Sora stroked her hair. "That was why she would always hurt you... it reminded her of your father."

Her father. Her father was a rapist.

"So," she hiccupped. "So she disowned me?"

The blind priestess nodded gently. "After a few years, her husband, Hiroto, finally accepted her again, but would not accept you. After your baby brother was born, they fled from here, and was never seen or heard from again." She sighed deeply. "But that wasn't the only reason..." she murmured.

Hitomi blinked, then stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Sora slowly disentangled her embrace, her hands ending up cupped under Hitomi's cheeks. Her thumb gently brushed the wet trails of her tears away. "She was afraid of these eyes," she said after a moment of silence.

"Afraid?"

She nodded and smiled, her colorless eyes very soft. After a few moments, she spoke again. "When you were just a baby, you used to coo and smile, even though you were all alone, as if someone was playing with you. And when you grew up a few years later, you always insisted that you could see an angel among the trees."

Hitomi's verdant eyes widened.

"You would tell stories to your mother," Sora went on. "You said that you saw an island floating high above the ocean. You said that a mermaid befriended you and taught you how to swim. You said that a winged boy would come and play with you at the river."

The sandy-haired girl was shocked at the discovery of her childhood. And then, as realization finally dawned upon her, she looked sharply at the calm priestess.

Sora nodded in understanding, smiling slightly. "Now do you understand why I named you Hitomi? It's your eyes. They have the special ability to see what other people could not with _their_ eyes. You could see Gaea floating above the sky; you could see angels, just as I could see you now with your wings." Hitomi's eyes grew large at this. "We are the same thing."

Hitomi stared at her. "B-But Amano and Yukari could also see my wings!" she exclaimed, her heart pounding.

Sora stood up, facing the window once again. She stood still for a while; eyes closed and face serene, as if her mind was wandering to someplace far. When she opened her hypnotizing eyes to speak, there were a thousand or so musical voices joining her own. "It was your fate to be," she said obscurely.

"My fate?" Hitomi echoed. "My fate to be what?"

"To be what you are. Neither mortal nor immortal. Neither human nor angel. To be everything and nothing."

The winged girl listened silently.

"You are an angel, though you are mortal. You are a human, though you have wings. You are an unstable entity hovering between heaven and earth; a mistake that was made on purpose to inflict the imbalance upon the soul and the flesh," Sora chanted as she walked towards her, and Hitomi heard the ethereal song which led her through the caves growing louder and louder. "And that is why you seek the truth, for you _must_ seek the truth. You were born to correct the imbalance, Girl of Destiny, and you were given a very special power, and a very important task."

"And what is that?" the girl asked apprehensively.

Sora laid a hand unto Hitomi's head, and her wings suddenly came ablaze with an intense white light as memories flooded her mind. She could feel her awareness being tapped open; her childhood, her emotions, reawakening so fast, they sped through her like a blur.

"The task to choose," the mysterious woman said softly, the choral voice suddenly gone, though the song remained. "You have the power to start the destiny of one future, or to end the fate of the other. You are the bridge between mortality and immortality, Hitomi, and you carry a big burden with you."

Hitomi's eyes began to water. "Sora, I don't understand any of this," she whimpered.

"You will choose, Hitomi," Sora said encouragingly, her hand touching Hitomi's cheek. "A choice shall present itself upon you when it is right, and you will choose. There will be two destinies presented to you, and you will decide which one to end, and which one to begin."

Hitomi was crying openly now. "I-I can't do it, Sora..." she sobbed helplessly. "I can't do it, I just can't... why does it have to be me?"

The pale-skinned priestess embraced her impulsively, the love between them so strong, it was beyond blood links. "Everything happens for a reason, Hitomi... everything has a purpose." It was then that she felt the warm lump resting just below Hitomi's collarbone. She let go of the embrace, her fingers tugging at the silver chain around Hitomi's neck until the bright crimson stone appeared and winked at her.

The priestess smiled at the pendant. "It is seeking its master," she said cryptically. "Never lose it, Hitomi... it will lead you home."

Puzzled at what she said, Hitomi was about to ask her about it when Sora suddenly threw the curtains and windows open. The minute the orange glow filled the room, the sad ethereal song gently playing in the background swelled to a shout. Sora stood before her, her back facing the window, smiling at her.

The sandy-haired female opened her mouth to speak, but now the pendant grew increasingly hot as it, too, began glowing with a soft pink light. Hitomi glanced outside the window and saw the island in her childhood hovering above the horizon, just about Sora's head.

The paradise they call Gaea.

Suffused in ruddy orange light, Sora nodded, smiling warmly. "Now that you have been cleansed of your past, you can now continue with the present to face the future." She gestured towards the tall open window. "Go now, while the sun has not retired to rest."

Tears were flowing uncontrollably from Hitomi's eyes as she unfolded her wings, grand and sparkling with the sunset light, as if she was on fire. The wind blew inside Sora's quarters, carrying away with it a few of Hitomi's feathers. She smiled sadly. "It was you who taught me that song, Sora..."

_Win dein a lotica_

_En val tu ri_

_Si lo ta_

_Fin dein a loluca_

_En dragu a sei lain_

_Vi fa-ru les shutai am_

_En riga-lint..._

Sora smiled. "It was your favorite lullaby."

_Win chent a lotica_

_En val turi_

_Silota_

_Fin dein a loluca_

_Si katigura neuver_

_Floreria for chesti_

_Si entina..._

Hitomi wailed, clinging to the only mother she'd known in all her life. "Come with me, Aunt Sora! I'll fly us together to paradise!" she whispered insistently on her chest.

She smiled, eyes twinkling. "You remember," she said, pleased. She carefully disentangled Hitomi's embrace. She shook her head, running her fingers through the girl's blonde hair. "Just because it's up there, doesn't mean that it's paradise. Just because you have wings, doesn't mean that you are an angel."

Before she could speak any further, Sora gently shoved Hitomi outside her window. Hitomi, flapping her wings and steadying herself awkwardly at first, hovered indecisively in front of her. "I can't do it, Aunt Sora, I can't leave you. I can't leave my home."

"You _must_, Hitomi. Can't you hear it singing? The sky is calling to you, Hitomi, you must answer it."

_Lalalalalalalalala..._

_Fontina Blu Cent_

_Des cravi esca letisimo_

_Lalalalalalalalala..._

_De quantian_

_La finde reve_

Hitomi hovered for a while, fluttering her lovely pristine wings. She would glance up and see Gaea floating temptingly above. Finally, she wiped her tears with the back of her hand and smiled a sad smile to the blind priestess. "You never did like it when I called you mother," she muttered simply.

Sora smiled. The whole world seemed to reel at the love she had shown with that single smile. "I will miss you, Hitomi."

Hitomi had to look away, forcing the tears not to fall. "Always look up. I promise one day, our eyes will meet again." Swiftly, before she changed her mind, she turned her back to her and pumped her wings, the warm air currents carrying her higher and higher until she was no more but a trail of sparkling teardrops falling one by one from the heavens.

Sora stood by her window, her ageless face raised high into the setting sun. The ruddy disappearing light from the skies filled her blind eyes like a blazing fire would, but it was nothing compared to the brilliance Hitomi was carrying with her. In her hand she held a feather, which caught the glow of the sun. It sparkled with orange light, as if it was on fire. The wind came in and rushed past her, the faint scent of Hitomi lingering on everywhere the wind touched. As it came rushing out of her open window, it carried with it the single feather, up and up as it rode the rising columns of air, up into the heavens until it was no more.

_Win dain a lotica_

_En vai tu ri_

_Si lo ta_

_Fin dein a loluca_

_En dragu a sei lain_

_Vi fa-ru les shutai am_

_En riga-lint..._

* * *

_Tsuzuku_

"_I know what we did was pretty stupid, not to mention dangerous," the honey-haired human spoke again. "I know that I've put Van into considerable danger, but it's not only him who's taking risks." She glanced at me—a brave move. "I'm also putting myself into mortal danger, not to mention eternal damnation, but..." This time, she lifted her head, and looked at me full in the face for the first time. A small, almost imperceptible gasp escaped my lips. "That is a risk that I am willing to take," she stated with conviction._

"_And that is also a destiny I am willing to accept," Van echoed in._

* * *

Footnotes: 

1)_ Sora_ is the title of the lyrics of the song that was constantly referred to in the last few chapters. It is also the name of _Sora_, the blindfolded priestess, who was the one who originally sang the song. _Sora _means _Sky_ in Japanese, so the title could be interpreted in two ways; either as the song the priestess Sora was singing which guided Hitomi through her ordeal, or the song the sky was singing which beckoned her to fly to Gaea.

2) _Anata_ means _you_ in Japanese, and it is also the term of endearment wives use to call their husbands. _Anata, doko ni iru no? _means _Darling, where are you?_

3) _Boya_ means _Boy_ in Japanese.

4) _Tenchi _means _Heaven and Earth_; _Megumi _means_ Blessing._

5) _Chiaki _means_ A thousand autumns._

6) Here's the translation of Chiaki's prayer:

_God, please watch over me.  
__Please heal my spirit.  
__Give me strength._

_Arguably, this is the longest chapter yet. I hoped you guys weren't bored. We're very close to the end now, the tension is building! Hang in there!_

_Sadame X  
__Defy your destiny._


	10. Paradise of Fools

_Ojamashimasu!_

_Still without a PC, but managing nonetheless. I'd actually produced a rhythmic pace; writing on my free times and typing after office hours. Sleeping at 3 am and waking up at 6. Quite cool, actually._

_I've just noticed that today is this story's anniversary! I'm happy yet embarrassed at the same time. Happy because you lovely people have stayed with me for all that time, and embarrassed because this story isn't supposed to take that long. Blush. My apologies..._

_I _love_ you people! Last chapter's reviews were so fulfilling. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. I love the song Sora, too! I never get tired of it. Ilaria's such a wonderful singer. As for the revelations, don't stop clutching the sides of your chairs just yet; there's still plenty to come. Evil cackle._

_I'm glad you people liked the philosophy I (tried to) include in this story. It just takes on a life of its own when you add depth, doesn't it? _Very _glad that the archaic dialogues made you laugh. Now, when you put it that way... it _does_ sound a bit absurd in British, ne? Chuckle._

_I also appreciate your understanding of the "other issues". I really do, and I thank you all very, very much for it. Sniffles. Aw shucks, you guys really know how to make a girl feel so loved! Thanks a bunch!_

_**Sadame-chan  
**_**_060905_**

_As the tension rises, I decided to be a little bit mellow in this chapter, so I guess you could relax on the chairs a bit. Enjoy!_

* * *

_Chapter Nine:  
__Paradise of Fools_

_Excerpts from Book I of _The Atlantean Gospels_, as transliterated by Sir Leon Schezar, worldly scholar, traveler, and renowned historian:_

_Long, long ago, before any man stood up and reached forth the bounty of the earth, before any creature came out from the shadows and gave their cry of freedom, before any leaf had sprouted from its mother soil, there were only the heavens and the earth._

_It was a bleak, lonely place. The heavens were a mere blue veil atop a barren brown land. It was very much like a painter's canvas—plain and empty, waiting for the artist's hand to give it life, give it color, give it its endless possibilities._

_Nobody knew when the first angel was made. They just suddenly filled that great expanse of sky above the awaiting landscape. Scores and scores of the winged creatures cried out in joy of their creation. After they had sung and praised to their hearts' content, they waited patiently for The Master to show them their purpose._

_And then, it began. The colors soon burst out from one end to the other. Sparkling seas which mirrored the sky's blue serenity rushed in and rushed out until they knew where their ends would meet. Fresh hues of green dotted the bleak desert as trees, shrubs, and carpets of grass sprouted where the waters would not dare rush in. And then, as if a thousand stars which shone with every color of the rainbow suddenly scattered themselves above the earth, the creatures and plants of all sizes, all walks of life, all manner and color, were created to claim their homes._

_And in that instant, the earth was a bleak place no more. It was thriving and teeming with new life._

_And so the angels cheered and sang and praised to their hearts' content once more, for this was truly such a wondrous thing to behold. And after they were finished they stayed silent just admiring the beautiful masterpiece The Master had created._

_And then, man was crafted._

_He was made into something different. He had the intelligence and understanding the other creatures did not. He had the power of speech to make him known. He had the power to command and master all the other creatures in this earth. He had all the doors open to him—all the limitless possibilities available with his own free will._

_And the angels were in awe at this curious new creature The Master had wrought so differently. They marveled at the first man who was given the ownership of this jewel of a planet._

_And then, another one was crafted; more beauteous, more genteel, more fragile. The creature known as woman had entered the earth at last._

_And while they were marveling still, The Master had now told them their reason; the purpose of their creation. They were created to carry out the multitude of tasks that would benefit the humans. Some were given responsibility over the stars, while some were given responsibility over the other worlds in the known and unknown universe. Some were given responsibility over the seas, while some where given responsibility over the elements. And then, there were those who were given the responsibility to watch over humans. Everyone had a purpose; not a single one was without meaning. They were just the same as the heavens, the earth, the seas, the lands, plants and animals. Everything was created for man and his mate, woman._

_It was sound logic. Before you receive something special, something important—like a family heirloom, or a revered guest, or a new baby, all the things that one special thing should ever need must be put into place first. Rooms will be cleaned and furnished, chairs will be cushioned, beautiful chests will be brought out, sheets and new clothes will be pressed. Everything will be prepared before the coming of this important someone into the world—and that was mankind._

_And so the angels cheered and sang once more for now knowing their purpose of meaning. And when The Master left them to move on with His task, they went to their posts and dominions and lowered their heads and fixed their eyes upon the fascinating race that had started to fill the land. And thus began the angels with their eternal task of guarding, protecting, and guiding the humans._

_But some angels were bound to lose their way._

_When the humans flourished and had scattered throughout the lands, distinguishing themselves from each other by color, appearance and tongue, some of the angels noticed that the daughters of man were truly beautiful creatures, marvelous beings to have and hold. And so, being eternally damned for leaving their posts, these fallen angels came down to earth, assumed human forms, and took the daughters of man to be their wives._

_A sacrilege of the first magnitude, this blasphemous act of the union of two very different races resulted in chaos. Mutated offspring were born, such as giants, half-humans, and all the other creatures forever banished for their appearance. And these outcasts sought homes deep into the forest, where they lived in unison with the beasts of prey; and in the oceans, where they adapted by growing fishlike tails and gills along the sides of their necks. And they were very seldom seen, for they are hunted and killed by those humans who were their ultimate mothers._

_And so, having erred in their ways, the angels found themselves to be forever bound to the earth, banished eternal from paradise. And in despair they sought out the world in search of a place to call their own, only to find that such a place does not exist._

_And these fallen angels came together and wept, thinking that they will not find a place for them to exist. Until one of them raised his head as if seized by a mighty hand, a great design forming in his mind. And he shared it with his brothers, and soon they all raised their heads in agreement._

_And so it was that they decided to create themselves a new world, a new land that was such as paradise, a place where they would return to someday. And with all their strength and power they unified their minds and willed the formulated landscape to be._

_And from that day on, there was another world that existed between the plane of fantasy and reality, between the ultimate heavens and the earth: Gaea, the paradise of fools._

- - -

Hitomi flew well into the night. Her wings flapped into a rhythmic beat that reverberated through the silent winds. She was often amazed to see the power behind the gentle-looking wings. She was unsteady at times and her balance was still a little tipsy, but the moment she saw the dotted brown and green landscape retreat rapidly to be replaced by an endless blue ocean, Hitomi felt an extra rush of adrenaline that made her want to go even faster.

There's an ecstasy in flying that Hitomi couldn't describe. A few wing beats would be enough to glide easily into long distances, coupled with the rising warm columns of air that the cool night breeze have lifted from the sea, make it seem like an effortless way to fly. Once she learned the secret of finding those air currents and locking her wings as the warm column ascended her higher and higher, Hitomi felt the overpowering surge of exhilaration so intense that she had not noticed she'd gone so far up there were spots before her eyes.

And then there were moments of absolute peace and serenity. There is a sense of absolute freedom when you're gliding all alone across the glassy, glistening ocean. It was as if there were two skies in the universe, and they have engulfed you into one endless chasm—you look down below and see a million sparkles in that molten-silver ocean, and you look above and see a million stars in that velvet sky. It was this feeling of being alone in that cosmos that helped Hitomi heal in ways she could not even imagine. A lot of things that have unfolded before her had been painful, and this time of blessed loneliness have been helping her to move on.

Move on to the future.

Hitomi craned her neck and stretched her arms and legs. She had been flying for hours nonstop, fearing that if she did, her inner strength would crumble and she would turn back and return home to her Aunt Sora. The nurturing priestess had told her that she had to make a choice that would set the future into course, and she blandly thought if not choosing to choose could also be considered a choice. Would avoiding the two destinies put to motion a yet another _third_ destiny? A few more minutes later and Hitomi's head started to hurt, and so she decided to stop worrying about things that did not happen anyway.

She rubbed her arms and face. Flying through the endless blue with the cool salty sea breeze rushing past her have rendered her body numb frozen. Hitomi suddenly realized that she was getting tired. There hadn't been a column of warm air she could ride on for miles. She remembered that she hadn't fully utilized her wings before, and so they must be lacking endurance due to the lack of exercise.

Her wing beats softened noticeably; her flight dropped dangerously low. Her shoulders slackened and her feet limped, cutting across the white foam as her toes touched the surface of the water. She just didn't have the energy, that's all, but that was still an unsafe predicament to be in since there was no stretch of land to be seen anywhere.

Until Hitomi looked up.

Seeing that Gaea, that paradise, was only just a few mere flaps away gave Hitomi newfound strength. Ignoring the sharp burning sensation she could feel from her back, she arched her body forward and thrust herself back into the winds. From high above her, sparkling clear water cascaded from the several lakes and ponds situated inside that floating land to join their mother ocean below, the sound of which was very soothing—like laughter in the rain. As Hitomi neared one of those high waterfalls, a rising warm air current caught her wings and she was lifted up and high above the ocean in no time.

As the honey-haired girl spiraled upwards, she saw the edges of the horizon tainted with the faintest of gold. She concluded that within two or three hours' time, a new day would arrive.

At last, Hitomi flew above the island itself, giving her its full splendor and beauty. Dark greens dotted the forests encircling two or three lakes, while a softer shade of green stretched out as far as grass was permitted to grow. Whole vales of wildflowers were scattered about the landscape, giving it a look of a very soothing patchwork quilt from the view above. But the best and most striking of all was the tall and slender towers of the magnificent white marble palace that was built upon a small sloping hill. Even in the darkness of night, the slender spires gleamed with unearthly beauty that would put even the purest of pearls to shame.

So many memories were calling out to Hitomi as her eyelids grew heavy. She fluttered downwards, the very tips of her wings quivering as if whisking the winds. Her balance still unstable, she had a little trouble landing but was quite alright because of the soft grass that cushioned her feet.

"I am home," she murmured sleepily, collapsing into a heap on the grassy floor.

As Hitomi lay fast asleep, the crimson pendant began to shimmer, growing warm against her breast.

In a spacious room quite a ways from where Hitomi landed a pair of tired eyes opened abruptly as the Ancient Angel sat bolt upright. The minute Hitomi's feet touched the sacred grounds of Gaea, his dreams came into a grinding halt, along with a sense of apprehension and foreboding encounter that would soon come to pass.

The Ancient Angel turned his head to his side and let his eyes rest upon the edges of Folken's blue journal. "And so it nears the end," he murmured wearily.

- - -

The sweet morning sunshine had filled the new day, painting everything it touched with liquid gold. Hitomi slowly fluttered her lashes open, oddly refreshed from with only a few hours' sleep. She yawned and stretched, taking out the kinks in her back. When the mist of sleep had been lifted from her head, she looked around her to see her environs.

She was on Gaea, that she could remember. She remembered flying over it and finally collapsing from exhaustion. Disbelief and excitement rushing all at once, she stood up and decided to have a look around paradise.

Hitomi brushed the grass from her skirt as she walked barefooted. The forest around her was not too dense to be called primeval, or was it too sparse to be considered a grove or woods. Giant trees with names she did not know towered above her, shedding years like rain falling from its countless leaves. Shafts of sunbeam burst through the canopy, illuminating each corner with a mellow, diffused glow. The wind would sigh as she passed by, smelling sweet to her nostrils. Hitomi stopped for a while to close her eyes and inhaled deeply. The fragrant scent of berries and sun-dried bark filled her whole body.

As she walked on with growing awe in each step, Hitomi couldn't help but to notice the differences Gaea had with the earth below. The trees and the grass were greener, and the sky above her was of a deeper shade of blue. Come to think of it, she had just noticed how incredibly sharp and vivid her senses are. The colors all around her were blazing; her ears could hear the song of a grasshopper far away. Even her touch—the soft pink fingertips—seem to be intensified a hundredfold. She could feel the velvety textures and waxy surfaces of each new petal and leaf. It was as if all this time, she had been living with one eye closed, and now that she had finally arrived, her other eye had been opened, intensifying her every perception.

When she came to grips with her discovery, Hitomi wasted no time in exploiting it. She would memorize a swallow's song as it soared among the clouds. She would follow the bird's trail, every delicate wing feather clearly visible to her. Then she would sample some of Gaea's fruits, feeling the soft, smooth texture of its skin. She could taste the sweetness and tartness melding in her mouth, devouring her tongue as her teeth seared their way through the crisp grain. The experience was so intense that she had to close her eyes often to relieve her of the overflowing sensations coursing through her body. This heightened awareness would sometimes leave her trembling; shivering down to the last feather.

Hitomi was resting beside a small sparkling pool in a shallow valley near the open fields. The wind was blowing softly, tickling her skin while the sun glowed demurely above. It was the kind of day when the sun was not too bright and would not cast shadows even though there were no clouds up in the sky. She had washed her face and even drank some of the sweet tasting water, the individual minerals known to her taste even though they have been blended perfectly into the clear elixir. Now she was just relaxing, the soft and moist ground cradling her as she viewed the capital; Gaea's marble palace.

From where she sat, she could see the individual marble blocks cut precisely to fit each other. The structure was about twenty stories tall, with the central main building adjoined with formal viaducts to either wing buildings. The adjacent structures were curved inward, embracing a magnificent formal rose garden which was overlooked by the spacious main building's top floor balcony. The columns and marble floors were all lined in shimmering gold, as well as the towering slender spires behind the capital. The entire palace was built upon a long sloping hill near the edge of the floating island, where it seemed to look upon all creation and smile down on the most beautiful city in the world.

Hitomi also saw the angels. Dark-haired, fair-haired, flaming red-haired, all manner of size and appearance. The angels went about their daily ways quietly, as if they have been doing this from time immemorial. Some angels flew to their watchtowers; some busied themselves to the gardens. The young ones would join the elders in their ministerial classes, their voices droning liltingly like bees in search of honey. Some angels carried books or scrolls with them, while some polished the rusty swords and armors drying out into the sun. To them, it must have been the same old story day in and day out, but to the earth girl Hitomi, it was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen.

And then a few moments later, the intricately ornate massive golden gates opened, and hundreds of the winged creatures flew off towards their assigned sentries below.

Hitomi stood up and gasped at the sight. It was exactly like what she saw back then over that cliff on top of the mountain on the night she ran away.

_But why aren't there any women?_ She thought. She then decided to investigate a little further—she would walk up to the manor and ask them about it.

She had been standing for almost twenty minutes in the same spot, hoping someone would notice her and ask her what she was doing there in the middle of a busy rose garden, but nobody even _glanced_ at her! They all just continued on their tasks, working silently and diligently. Hitomi fidgeted. How does one talk to an angel, anyway? Do you tap them on the shoulder and wave "hello" in front of their faces? Or do you have to bow and curtsy gracefully and address them as "my lords"? Or perhaps you really don't talk to them, that you must not even look at them eye to eye? Or maybe you should...

"My lady?" he asked for the third time. He had been poring over a map of wind directions and weather patterns, finding out which set of winds were traveling which way during this time of year. He had been quite distracted by this woman who just stood in the middle of the garden with nothing to do except to block out his sunlight, so he decided to ask her if she needed help (and to move her someplace else, if possible).

Hitomi had been so immersed in her own musings that she failed to notice the tall brown-haired angel who had just talked to her—thrice. Her face was so serious that her finger went tapping on her chin in thought. She kept mumbling half-phrases and disagreeing in frustration that the angel watched her with some amusement.

Smiling, he tapped her shoulder from behind, and she jumped with a surprised squeak and spun around. The chestnut-haired angel grinned and waved enthusiastically at her. "You should have done this sooner. Hello!"

Hitomi's jaw dropped, closed, and dropped open again, her eyes wide.

The angel flicked her chin close with his finger. "The correct response, I believe, would be 'hi'," he whispered.

The sandy-haired female blushed with embarrassment that she could compete with the roses in bloom around her. "I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, looking down at the floor. "I d-didn't mean to disturb you, b-but..."

Chuckling, he lifted her face to meet his gaze. "I said, the correct response, I believe, would be 'hi'."

A weak smile slowly began to take shape. "Hi," she meekly squeaked.

"There, now. That wasn't so hard to do, was it?" he beamed.

Hitomi smiled nervously and shook her head.

His face twisted in feigned mortification. "Am I _that_ intimidating?" he choked.

"No," Hitomi laughed, finally at ease.

The angel gave her an easy smile. "That's better. A minute ago you looked so tightly coiled, I was afraid that you'd burst and stain my exquisitely boring white tunic."

She giggled girlishly. She _liked_ this one. "I didn't know how to approach an angel," she confessed.

He waved his hand dismissively. "As long as you don't grab our attention by punching us in the nose, you'd be fine."

"So I can grab your attention by elbowing you in the stomach?"

He pretended to think about it. "Yes, you can, actually."

She laughed merrily, her entire body shaking.

"Although I personally prefer the shoulder-tapping approach—less painful," he grinned as he offered her his arm. "May I, my lady? On the accord that you shall not acquaint your elbow with my stomach, of course," he added.

Hitomi laughed at this and took his arm. The angel began strolling her away from the gardens, and when Hitomi looked back, she saw the discarded maps sitting haphazardly all over the bench where he was sitting. She turned to him and asked with a worried voice. "What about those things you were working with? Aren't you going to be in trouble for wasting your time on me?"

He put on a transparent hurt look. "My lady, in all my life I've been dipping my nose into those musty old pieces of parchment. Am I not permitted just once to look at something else that's not so old... cold... and has lots of mold?"

Hitomi laughed once again, shaking her head in defeat. "I only fear that you would get into trouble with this, sir," she said.

"Nonsense," he scoffed. "If my work was _that_ important, do you really think I'd go working in the gardens?"

She sighed. "As long as my lord says that everything's fine..." she trailed off suggestively.

He grinned back as to answer her.

The winged female laughed softly as she put a fond hand on his arm. There was something so infectious about her companion that she couldn't help but laugh or chuckle or smile herself when he did so. "If you don't mind me saying, you're not exactly the kind of angel that I had in mind."

The corners of his lips twitched. "Either that's an embarrassingly splendiferous compliment, or an embarrassingly absurd insult."

"Well," Hitomi began. "The last few angels I've met were too … _formal_."

"Full of 'thees', 'thous' and 'forasmuches'?"

"Exactly," she grinned.

"Ah, dear lady," he exclaimed in an annoyingly grand voice as he puffed up his chest. "An it pleaseth thee. Shouldst thy be in my most humble company, shall I provide thee and divulge unto thee the fullness of this most irritating language; e'en as the sun is my eternal witness and the wind my aide, yea, I shall lavish thee to thy heart's content till thou canst not stand any more."

"No more! No more!" Hitomi burst, her shoulders shaking. "That was so _bad_. I never thought you could say all of those in just one sentence."

"Two, I think," he mused, reverting to his normal tone of voice. "You should listen to the speeches the barons in here have been giving. You'd probably think they don't even breathe anymore. I'm pretty sure that if a strong gust of wind had been blowing when they were talking, the echoes of their speech would have reached the end of the universe by now."

Hitomi had a very hard time muffling her giggles.

"I never really did like archaic speech. All those 'ests' and 'eths' thend to thie up my thongue."

Hitomi and the brown-haired angel hit it off almost immediately. They left the gardens and strolled in and out of the castle as the tall immortal toured her around the citadel. Hitomi soon found out that he was more human than angel. He was funny, accommodating, down-to-earth, and had that easy-going attitude that she had always admired in people. And above that, he was a gentleman; always offering her his arm or hand whenever they encountered rough terrain, or shielding her from the midday sun with his wings. Soon the day wore on, and she and the angel were friends.

"And then, and then," he snickered breathlessly as the two of them sat among a field of wildflowers, the setting sun acting as their background. "The young widow said to him, 'Sir! What did you do to me? I only wanted you to give body to my hair!'" he chortled. "And do you know what the witchdoctor said?"

She shook her head. "No."

"He said, 'Ooh... I heard it the other way around...'" the angel took a deep breath before both of them doubled over in laughter, clutching their sides in pain.

"That was _terrible_!" Hitomi gasped.

"Yeah, a terribly good joke!"

"Ugh! That's even lamer than the punch line!"

Then they threw their heads back and laughed some more.

And that was how Hitomi spent her first day in paradise. She was all smiles and laughter as she toured her new home with her new friend. She had missed the sound of her own laughter. She realized that it has been a long time since she had been so carefree. She thought of the days she spent on the earth down below. She thought of Millerna, and Allen. She thought about Naria, Eriya, Merle, Amano and Yukari, and her Aunt Sora. She felt that time had been too unkind for her, taking away her every precious memory a little too early.

"You miss the world below, don't you?" he suddenly asked, making the honey-haired girl come out of her thoughts.

She smiled weakly. "A little homesick, yes..." she admitted. "There were times of almost unbearable grief and loss, but home is still home, isn't it?"

The man nodded. "It's no Gaea by any stretch of the imagination, but you can't help but to fall in love with it." He chuckled. "Sometimes I get the urge to fly down there again to have a look at what's going on."

Hitomi looked up to him. "You've seen the world below?"

"Mm-hmm," he nodded. "Back when I was still a guardian. I was assigned to protect a farmer's daughter. That was why I knew so much about weather patterns. When your livelihood relies on the bounty of rain or sunshine, you have to study it rather meticulously. And that is why I was reassigned to this job."

"What kind of job is it?"

"Basically I'm like a rainmaker. I plot storm patterns and wind directions and snow levels. I have to direct which part of the world gets this super strong thunderstorm, and which part would get a teeny drizzle. It's all about balance. I have to keep things nice and equal," he explained.

"I see," Hitomi replied, finally understanding why he was studying a map when she saw him this morning. "But why were you reassigned?" she asked again.

He shrugged. "I fell in love."

She blinked. "With what? The world below? That doesn't seem like a very bad thing."

"No, with my human," he replied softly, eyes faraway. "It came to the point when I had to see her everyday, every hour, every minute. I was like an angel possessed." He chuckled softly. "Come to think of it, I _was_ possessed. With love."

Hitomi frowned sadly. "Aren't angels permitted to love?" she asked.

The chocolate-haired angel looked down at her. "There are many kinds of love, my lady," he said. "But mortal love isn't suited for angels. Didn't you notice that there are no females here? We do not need mates; we have no purpose for them." He looked away. "But I guess some things just happen..."

An uneasy silence came upon the two of them. Hitomi had her head bowed as she gazed at her hands feeling the grass; while her friend had his head titled slightly upwards as he looked someplace far away.

"Who was she?" she asked softly after a few minutes. "The girl—your human, I mean?"

He didn't reply for the longest time. Hitomi thought that what she just asked was too personal and that he wasn't ready to answer it just yet. Fearing that she might have jeopardized their friendship, she was about to retract when the angel murmured simply.

"Millerna."

- - -

The sandy-haired female's head shot up after she heard him say a very familiar name. "Millerna?" she echoed, eyes wide.

The brown-haired angel nodded, a soft yet sad smile on his lips. "She was a loveable child... perky, sunny, quite spirited and headstrong. I would get exhausted making sure she doesn't fall off horses or drowning in the sea," he laughed softly at the memory. "I have seen her become from a tiny baby to a beautiful lady."

Hitomi turned her head to him. "So... you've guarded her since she was a baby?"

"No, even before that," he answered. "I've protected her even before she took shape in her mother's womb."

She lowered her head back down again. Was he talking about the same person she knew? Who knows how many mothers have named their daughters Millerna.

She fidgeted a bit. "And then... what happened?" she asked slowly.

The angel shrugged with a chuckle. "I honestly don't know. I don't know when the love began. Back then, I didn't even know that that _was_ love. The only thing I knew was that I needed to see her constantly, always be by her side."

He shifted his position by bringing up one knee and resting an arm onto it. He had a solemn look on his face. "I would never forget that day... the day when she cried," he mumbled.

Hitomi sat still for a while, silently urging him to continue.

The tall creature hung his head low. "I got so careless... I was so obsessed with her that I failed to take notice that her other sister went missing."

Hitomi's body went rigid. If she had any doubts about who he was talking about before, she was finally rid of them.

"I've seen her cry a million times over broken dolls and lost pets and scraped knees, but when she found out that her sister was gone, she..." he sighed as if conveying the things no words could ever express. "Those eyes... those eyes that were so full of life... they just... went dead."

A flash of sadness passed through her jade orbs. She had seen those eyes before; she had felt the vast emptiness within them. She laid a sympathetic hand on his leg, a gesture which spoke volumes.

"And that was when I lost the will to continue," he said, laughing softly to himself. "I came back here and decided to confess. Naturally the elders knew of the situation when I got back here. I was banished from the world below as my punishment."

The sun was barely visible on the horizon by then, staining the last few wisps of clouds with soft shades of orange and salmon. The early night wind greeted the friends as it passed, ruffling the leaves on the trees and beckoning the grass and flowers to dance. A long, almost comfortable silence passed between them; both wanting to say more and say nothing more at the same time.

It was Hitomi who shattered the silence. "She also named me Marlene," she whispered.

A loud gasp was heard. She could feel him turning sharply to face her, and his eyes were wide and disbelieving.

Her eyes were trained to the faint feathery clouds that were whisking away to the ends of the known universe. She bowed her head, deliberately shielding her gaze from his. When she spoke, her voice was slow, clear and subdued. "There was a time in my life when everything was a blur. I couldn't remember anything, much less _feel_ anything. I didn't know if I was dead; I didn't know if I was alive. The only thing that I knew was that I was who I was, and that at that particular place and time, I existed.

"And then someone had found me. I did not know who it was, but I could feel his presence even in my sleep. Slowly he nursed me back to my health while I was still drifting inside that nothingness. Time meant nothing in the realm of dreams, so I cannot say for sure how long I was asleep. Sometimes it was dark, and sometimes it was light. That was all I knew, and I was content.

"Soon after I regained consciousness, and my savior made feeble attempts to tap into my memory. Consciousness was what I had regained, but the identity that I lost was still yet to be found."

Hitomi stopped for a while, shifting to a more comfortable position. "He was the one who brought me to Millerna. She lived all alone inside a fairly large hut by the sea. She was ecstatic to have me, and she treated me like her very own sister." She finally looked at him. "She also named me Marlene... like the one that she lost."

The angel gaped at her for a while, not being able to say anything. Then he let out a breath that he had been unconsciously holding. "I see," he said simply. "I wouldn't have imagined... it's a small world, isn't it?" he grinned.

Hitomi smiled weakly and nodded.

He grew silent. "So... how... how is she?" he asked with some difficulty.

The sandy-haired female glanced up at his eyes. Even after all these years, she could still see and feel the love he had for her sister. How could she possibly tell him and break his heart?

She looked away. "My lord, she... Millerna must be betrothed by now."

Silence. Silence for what seemed like an eternity.

Suddenly he laughed good-naturedly. "Well, good for her! I was wondering what was keeping her. I was worried that no one would want to marry such a feisty lady. I honestly feel sorry for the unlucky chap she managed to catch. Having to deal with her tantrums... mood swings... fickle-mindedness... seriously, I believe that not a single man could stan—"

"My lord..." Hitomi whispered sadly.

He stopped laughing and looked at her intently, a warm smile on his lips. "Do not feel sorry for me. I knew what the consequences of my actions were, and I whole-heartedly accepted them. I fell in love with the wrong person, that was just it. She and I were never meant to be, and no matter how I fight it, Fate is simply too powerful to defy. I knew right from the start that a spirit and a mortal cannot be. Her destiny moves forward, and so does mine. This is the path that I have chosen. Don't feel sorry for me, Hitomi."

Somehow, Hitomi wasn't surprised that he knew her. "But you still love her," she pointed out.

"Of course I do," he replied without a second thought. "And I will carry this burden with me until the heavens turn to ash. Frankly, I believe I wouldn't be what I am now without it. Before, I lived—no, I _existed_—solely for her approval, and in some ways, I probably still do. Even if we are worlds apart, I am grateful to have a piece of her in me—even if it's just this thorn. It is this curse that makes me part human, Hitomi; it is what makes me whole."

The honey-haired female's eyes widened slightly, her breath caught in her chest. After hearing this one angel's brave and solid belief about his own existence, the sorrow and pity that were in her eyes were rapidly replaced by something else—awe. She felt that she could never match his certainty. Here was an angel living with boundless love for someone he knew would never be returned back to him, and yet he is still alive, and he is still _loving_ her. Hitomi was a little more than ashamed of herself for how she handled her own tragedy.

"Your majesty, I finally found you at last!" huffed the profusely sweating pot-bellied elder angel. "Where were you all morning?" he demanded testily.

"Oh, here, there, everywhere," he replied breezily. He didn't seem to mind the vein popping on the poor messenger's cheek. "Come now, my lord, you wouldn't _actually_ leave a poor lady like her all alone all day now, would you? I just offered her a tour of the citadel and whatever hospitality I could manage."

"'Your majesty'?" Hitomi whispered to him.

"It's a formality. Nothing more but an extension of all those 'thees' and 'thous'. Learn to ignore it," he muttered back.

"T-tour, your majesty?" the elder spluttered, his face glowing red. He was so steamed up Hitomi was sure his head's about to burst. She stifled a laugh. "What about your duties?"

"You told me you were just a rainmaker," Hitomi said accusingly.

"Just a _rainmaker_!" the portly angel blurted.

"I _am_," the grinning brown-haired angel whined reassuringly. "He's just overreacting."

"_Overreacting_!" he almost shouted, and Hitomi could swear she could actually see plumes of smoke wafting through his ears. "Sir! The very fate of the whole _world_ is hanging upon your fingertips!"

The young angel looked at Hitomi and spread his hands expressively. "See?"

Hitomi couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

The reddened elder looked indignant. "My lady! I'll have you know that this is _no_ laughing matter! If the world doesn't get an equal balance of sun and water, the whole ecosystem will—"

"Yeah, yeah, cap it, you old butterball," interjected Hitomi's friend. "Once it rained nonstop for forty days and forty nights, and then there was that drought which lasted for three and a half years. So what becomes of your balance, then?" He turned to Hitomi while patting the angel's protruding belly. "Hitomi, this old fuddy-duddy shall escort you to the Ancient's court, and if he even so much as _looks_ at you in _any_ way that you don't like... talk to me, and I'll arrange it so that a couple of thunderstorms shall play lullabies in his room for the next ten years or so, alright?" he grinned while the messenger spluttered.

The lady tried her best to stifle a laugh, so all that managed to escape was a smirk. "Thank you, your majesty," she curtsied then crinkled her nose as she straightened afterwards. "You wouldn't mind sharing your name, would you? I wouldn't want to elbow a friend in the stomach every time I want to catch his attention." She tilted her head to one side. "Although I _could_ continue calling you 'your majesty', if you like."

He laughed loudly as he waved a hand while disappearing down the vale. "Call me Dryden."

- - -

The sandy-haired female was walking a few steps behind the balding, overweight angel. Once he had calmed down and wiped the sweat from his face he bowed deeply to her in apology, introducing himself as lord Atesca. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Atesca politely asked Hitomi to follow him as he led her into the palace and along its labyrinthine halls and passages.

Lord Atesca was a short stocky fellow with sparse graying hair sticking out from the sides of his head. He wore a small lavender-and-blue beret which was cocked lopsidedly to hide the fact that his younger days had been long gone—like his hair. His skin was reddish and smooth, and Hitomi noticed that he sweats a lot; mopping his face and neck with a thick, wooly towel. Hitomi was aware of the fact that she was quite tall, but Atesca only reached up to her chest. Even though she towered over him and his hands and feet stuck out outside his white tunic and blue cloak rather awkwardly, he had this commanding presence about him that made it look like he was five times as big.

The sun had been long gone by the time they made it to the seventh floor studies, making the cold stone walls and marble floors seem even colder. The torches were lit, spilling out blazing red and yellow light over the shadows. Atesca was puffing quite a bit as they ascended the spiraling staircase, stopping every so often to catch his breath and wipe his face.

"Are you alright, my lord?" Hitomi asked. "We could stop by and rest; you seem awfully tired."

"No, no, dear lady," Atesca shook his head, dabbing at his forehead. "I must get you to the Master at once. Do not mind me, I am perfectly alright."

They reached the Elder's study at last. Two heavily-armed guards stood at either side of the ornate door, saluting as Atesca and Hitomi came into view.

"Lord Atesca," rumbled the guard by way of greeting. "What brings thou to hither place at this most unseemly of hours?"

The portly angel stuffed his towel in his sash. "I hath summons by His Holy to come to hither place and escort the lady Hitomi as she and the Master hath much to discuss with one another and divulge unto one another about matters that require utmost care and privacy, seeing as it is quite delicate and o'erwhelming that of which the things which art to be revealèd must not reach unfriendly ears and therefore _must_ be done in unseemly secrecy." Hitomi couldn't believe anyone could cram so many words in just one sentence. Dryden was right.

The guard nodded knowingly and opened the heavy doors. Standing in the middle of the doorway, he rapped the butt of his long spear smartly on the marble floor twice and announced in a booming voice, "My lord Atesca and the lady Hitomi!"

The guard then moved aside and stood straight like he was before, signaling they can now enter. With a short nod from Atesca who strode purposefully into the hall, Hitomi followed suit, her eyes all over the place.

A lanky young man was standing in front of an aged angel sitting behind a smooth, coffee-colored study table. The boy had in his hand one long roll of parchment—so long that the other end of which fell to the floor—in which where listed his report about the day's newborn animals and those who were killed, hunted, or died of natural causes. The aged angel had his hands clasped atop the table as he leaned forward and listened absently to the younger angel's report. His eyes lit up when he saw her approaching and he held one hand up to stop the young boy's droning voice.

"Most Holy, I present unto thee the lady Hitomi," Atesca announced grandly, bowing floridly.

Hitomi felt everything _but_ grand as two hundred or so eyes fixed themselves on her. If only the lord Atesca had told her that the hall would be so busy! She mentally inspected herself and cringed. She had on a light blue gown with green trimming, with sleeves that showed her rounded shoulders and mid-back bare to let her wings through. Her long train of a skirt which stopped—thankfully—below her ankles, barely brushing the floor, concealed her choice of footwear—or lack thereof. It was an old dress Yukari lent her after they bathed, seeing as her singed skirt and ripped blouse would not do. She wasn't altogether unacceptable, but Hitomi wished she had been given the chance to at least prepare herself.

The Ancient Angel smiled kindly at her as the whole hall was engulfed in an ear-splitting silence. What was worse than having a throng of people whispering things about you? A throng of people saying absolutely _nothing_ about things they should be whispering about.

The silver-haired elder glanced at the silence around him. "Are there no gentlemen in this place as to not offer the lady a chair to rest upon?" he asked amusedly.

About twenty or so scuffling feet rushed forth to offer her whatever seating implement was handy, but they were beaten by a tall, lean young man with thick brown hair and kind green eyes. "T-Thank you," Hitomi managed to squeak, bowing awkwardly.

"It is my pleasure, my lady," he replied softly.

The Elder smiled and gestured to the young angel who had retreated back to his side. "Caleb, my seneschal," he said by way of introduction. Then he cleared his throat loudly. "My lord Atesca," he called to attention the portly elder standing politely on one side of the hall. "Wouldst thou be so kind as to lift upon me this burden of hearing the most involvèd of reports?"

Atesca bowed. "Of course, Most Holy."

"I thank thee," he said simply. "Prithee, take everyone yonder further with thee—methinks the lady and I have much to discuss alone."

Once again Atesca bowed, ushering the lanky boy and the rest of the courtiers outside. As the last of the angels exited, Caleb stepped down from the dais where the Elder's table stood and bowed lightly to his master. "I shall see what the kitchens have to offer; her ladyship must be tired and hungry from her trip." And with a nod from the Elder, Caleb turned around and left the hall quietly, shutting the door firmly behind him.

The silver-haired angel smiled wryly. "He thinks of everything." After a while he fixed his eyes on the slightly trembling and nervous lady sitting before him with her hands clutching a good handful of skirt. "Well met, lady Hitomi," he said kindly, inclining his head. "I am the Elder angel Dornkirk."

Her head tilted upwards at this, for the name had a peculiar familiarity unto it that she couldn't quite put a finger on. She reached into her mind trying to pinpoint that familiarity, but all she could come up with were snippets of hazy conversations lost long ago. She must have felt as frustrated as a lost bird looking for her nest, because her brows knitted themselves in a fashion that made Dornkirk lean forward so as to look at her more closely.

"I am sure that there are hundreds of questions inside that mind of yours," the aged Elder rumbled. "But I'm afraid I cannot answer them for now." Hitomi fidgeted slightly in protest, but the Elder was fast talking again. "Just for the time being," he assured her. "We will tend to your questions once we have tended to you and your needs." Just then, Caleb had returned from the kitchens, the spacious hall echoing with the sound of latches being opened. He held in his hands a silver tray with a small ceramic teapot, an even smaller ceramic teacup, a plate of sweetmeats, and a plate of colorful, flower-shaped sweet-rice cakes.

He stood just about Hitomi, waiting for the other angel of lesser years behind him to fetch a low end table for him to place the food and drink onto. Hitomi was about to reach forth for the teapot but Caleb was quick enough to pour the steaming, rich amber liquid into her tiny cup.

The indispensable seneschal bowed briefly and returned to his master's side. The old man nodded towards her. "Like your food, for instance," he quoted. Then he frowned. "But surely that will not do. Caleb, doesn't the kitchen have anything more substantial?" he asked, twisting his head over his shoulders.

The brown-haired assistant apologized. "My apologies, but the helpers and the cook have been long asleep when I got there, and that was the best that I could provide." He blinked. "I could wake them up, if my Master wishes it."

Hitomi piped up at this point. "No, no, I'm fine, really!" she assured, making a point by sipping extendedly into her tea.

"Nonsense," Dornkirk scoffed, waving his hand flippantly. "Those things would not have satisfied _me_ even if I was half the size you are. Why, you're shivering from hunger!"

And indeed it was true; Hitomi _was_ shivering. Though if it was from hunger, she wasn't sure.

The Ancient Angel turned his head to his seneschal once again, his long silvery hair and beard tumbling all over each other. "Caleb, my boy, wake up the cook and tell him to prepare a hot meal for the lady. In the meantime he's cooking, you may accompany lady Hitomi towards her quarters." He turned to smile at her as Caleb bowed politely to him. "I shall see you in the morning, my child."

The startled girl opened her mouth to say something, but the Elder's seneschal was already at her side bowing once again. "The night wears on, dear lady," he said softly. "It'd be best for you to retire and rest early. I shall send for the tea along with your meals to your room for this evening."

Poor Hitomi looked at him helplessly. She had so many questions she wanted to ask and felt so little time left that she was sorely disappointed about not having a chance to talk with the Elder Dornkirk tonight. But with the Master and Caleb pinning her as two male wolves closing in on a helpless fawn, Hitomi realized there was nothing she could do and sighed submissively.

The Ancient Angel let his shoulders drop as he leaned back on his high-backed chair. A weary sigh escaped from his lips as soon as the faint echoes of the human girl Hitomi and his seneschal Caleb's footsteps have stopped clicking onto the marble floor. He had managed to put off Hitomi for one night by making much of a show, and he wondered for how long he would have to keep doing it until it was all over.

_Until I find a way to gain advantage over her,_ he thought darkly.

"But how..." he groaned, rubbing one bony hand over his eyes. And it was this one thought which kept him awake for the remainder of that evening.

- - -

Hitomi's quarters, as it turned out, wasn't anywhere near the Elder's court. It wasn't even _near_ the castle. And the fair-haired lady found out about it as she and Caleb made their way through the damp and dark forest in the dead of night.

"A-Are we getting any closer?" she asked, masking the edge in her voice. Apparently her heightened senses did nothing to help her in the dark, as her feet seemed bent on finding every rock, root, and rut on the dirt road. Hitomi's disposition turned sourer with each passing minute. Personally, she would be better off sleeping in the middle of the thorn-riddled rose bushes. She can't find anything pleasurable in doing this. The mosquitoes seemed _very_ happy to see her, but the idea didn't lighten her mood, either.

"Just a little bit further," he replied politely.

Hitomi pouted behind his back and trudged along. _If he wasn't so polite, I'd have run amok hours ago,_ she thought. _Then again, if we have to continue doing this for the rest of this evening, I might just ignore his politeness and run amok anyway._

It was until they reached a sharp bend in the forest when Hitomi caught sight of her home. It was a fairly modest house made of fine white marble so precious, it glowed a luminescent white in the forest. Hitomi's breath caught in her throat and all her dark thoughts evaporated instantly. The house was _breathtaking_ to say the least; it was as if its builder had put a piece of his soul in every brick and wood and marble he had placed to build such a magnificent abode. How could something so beautiful been waiting for her for all these years?

Caleb led her through the overgrown rosebushes walling the perimeter of the garden and held open the front door for her. The honey-haired female stepped inside, anticipating her bare feet to be ankle-deep in accumulated dust, but was surprised when she found the whole house to be spotless.

"The servants shall bring your meals, my lady," Caleb bowed at the rapt Hitomi. "I hope this humble dwelling place shall be adequate for your tastes."

"Oh, it's _more_ than adequate!" she gushed, wheeling around. "This—" she flung her arms around. "—is magnificent! I don't know how to thank you," she said, eyes dancing as she traced the candle lights.

Caleb smiled warmly. "It is the least we can do," he answered, excused himself, and left quietly.

Hitomi wandered through the house, taking in the alien-looking but surprisingly comfortable furniture and feeling oddly at peace. She soon found out that the entire house had no corners; even the roof was rounded. And the breeze was continually rushing through, cooling the entire place. There were five rooms—a small living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a single bedroom with a huge four-poster bed, the only furniture that she was familiar with. The entire structure was large enough to house three people, and seeing that she was alone in that wonderful place made her almost feel the house's loneliness seeping through its smooth white-cream walls. Actually, the whole experience reminded Hitomi a lot about Millerna; all alone in her home, when in the past it used to accommodate three people.

When the meals came, Hitomi thanked the servant boy who had delivered her dinner and retired to the dining room. The gracious cook had prepared a hearty bean soup for her, along with thick slices of rich dark bread and a glass of milk. After she had cleaned the dishes in the kitchen where a small waterfall trickled down one wall, she took the tray of tea and sweets and entered the bedroom.

There was a nightgown that was folded neatly over the soft mattress—with sleeves of gauzy white silk and a skirt of light blue satin. A light, cream-colored gossamer veil of whispery silk hung about the posters, giving the bed a soft, peaceful look. A curiously-constructed bedside table of twisted dark chocolate roots held her tray as she temporarily forgot her tiredness and dressed.

Hitomi wandered about the largest of all the rooms. The faintest scent of roses and lilac floated about the shadows as the moonlight streamed through the wide windows. Hitomi could sense her presence in this whole house from years before; she could feel it in every sight, smell and touch. This place was an integral part of her past, but even though she tried to remember, there was a stronger, more ancient and deeper kind of magic which prevented her from doing so.

As she was being claimed by the realm of dreams, Hitomi conceded that time will present itself along with the rest of her memories. A small smile tugging at her lips, the honey-haired female sighed and drifted to sleep, finally at peace now that her life was every bit as close to perfect.

In her dreamy state, the pendant on her chest grew hot and glowed an angry blood red, begging to disagree.

- - -

The morning dawned bright and early the following day. So early, in fact, that a certain winged female with messy gold hair had rolled in her bed in a feeble attempt to block the cheery sunlight peeking through the windows. She even went so far as to growl at the blazing star and cover her head with her pillow, but it was like telling water not to run downhill; the new day's warmth had clung to her like a second skin.

Sighing, Hitomi sat up her bed and stretched. In actuality, she wasn't a late riser, since farmers habitually rise early. In fact, she was wide awake hours before the sun showed up, but she was perfectly content with just snuggling the pillows and drifting into a light doze every hour or so. When dawn finally came knocking on the windows, she wasn't satisfied with her intimacy with her fluffy pillows yet, so she went a bit childish and got angry at the unoffending sun.

Stretching out her arms as she stood up, the sunshiny girl made her way to the whitewashed bathroom, where she scooped up water from a basin and washed her face. Not bothering to comb her hair, she went back to the bedroom and out into the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Now there's a sight you don't get to see everyday."

Hitomi stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of the cool, languid voice behind her. She turned around to see a grinning Dryden sitting behind the kitchen table where her breakfast was laid out on a tray waiting for her.

"Eek!" the flushed girl squealed, frantically making herself presentable as her fingers combed her messy tumble of already-messy hair and buttoning her half-buttoned sleeping dress.

"My, my, my, the lady is embarrassed!" Dryden laughed good-naturedly, which earned him a nasty look from the lady mentioned. She pouted angrily at him; it was true that she was embarrassed. Making a final tug at her now properly-buttoned dress, Hitomi put her hands on her hips and scowled at her irrepressibly grinning friend.

"What are you doing here, Dryden?" she spat acidly.

The said angel put his hand theatrically over where his heart was supposed to be. "Thou wound me, milady!" he exclaimed dramatically, which now earned him a crack of a smile and a playful punch on the arm from the lady. "Ow," he said, massaging the offended appendage. "Now you've _really_ wounded me."

Shaking her head, Hitomi took the tray of food and proceeded to the dining room. "Would you care to join me, Dryden?" she asked pleasantly, her mood lifting up.

He bowed grandly at her request. "I thought you'd _never_ ask. What on _Gaea_ were you dreaming about? It took you about... _forever and six days_ to wake up. I'm starving."

Hitomi laughed as she placed two plates and everything else on the table. Peculiar thing it was, that passed onto her mind; that every item in the house came in pairs. She'd never noticed it before.

"Well, if you must know," Hitomi began, ladling soup into her bowl. "I didn't have a dream last night. It was kind of unusual though, since it's the first time that it's happened."

"Maybe you've forgotten about it," Dryden replied while dropping two sugar cubes into his coffee. "I've read about it somewhere that most of the dreams we remember are only half of what we have dreamt about. Most of it's lost elsewhere."

"Not to me, it isn't," she replied confidently. "I've always dreamt of something, and I've always remembered it very clearly."

They ate their breakfast quietly; Hitomi with her soup and bread and Dryden with his coffee and eggs. Hitomi had been thinking—like she always did when she was silent—about who could have been here sharing the house with her. Since everything came in sets of two, except the bed, she concluded that there _had_ to be someone living with her. Some other human, perhaps? No, that was impossible; humans were prohibited from entering paradise. So it was another angel. But who? A lady friend? But Dryden had assured her that there are no females in Gaea. So a male angel had been sharing the house with her? Her brows knitted as the possibilities whirled in her head. Could it be Ontrose or Kamion? No, they were fairly new to their jobs. Could it be Folken? She mentally shook her head, munching harder than usual. The Prince practically _roasted_ her the last time they met!

_So who could it be?_ She thought. He had to be a close friend for her to be able to live with him. Could it be Dryden? She pictured a life with him—dining with him, talking with him, even sharing a bed with him. She glanced up at him and blushed at the idea. That didn't seem right, somehow.

"Alright," Dryden said while putting his cup down. He had been observing Hitomi as she ate. She looked exactly like how he saw her when she came into Gaea—deep in brooding. He chuckled silently. She had the same serious expression on her face yesterday morning. "I'm going to have to make you talk before you start brooding about something dangerous."

"I'm not brooding about something dangerous," she mumbled absently, spreading butter on a piece of toast.

"See? It's working already." Dryden stood. "So what do you want to do today? We could tour the towers behind the capital," he offered.

The lady stood up and started clearing the plates away. "Give a minute to get dressed, Dryden; I don't want the others to ogle at me like you just did."

Dryden barked a laugh and waited in the living room.

Hitomi washed the dishes and cleaned herself up, surprised to see clothes of her size in the dresser in the bedroom. She now wore a loose-fitting tunic and skirt that matched, and a pair of slippers to cover her feet. She hadn't really decided on what to do today; her mind was still wrapped up in the mystery of the house's other occupant.

She found Dryden standing over a section of the smooth wall of the living room, poking a slender knife through it. "Did you know that there's no mortar to hold this house together?" he said as he glanced over his shoulder. Hitomi blinked quietly and walked to his side. Dryden gently widened the fissure he had cut into the wall. "Mortise and tenon. And tightly packed, too. It must have taken _years_ to build this house."

"Dryden," Hitomi said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Would you tell me everything you know about this house? I feel as if... as if this place is—_was_—important to me."

The angel with brown hair looked at her over his shoulder for a while, not saying anything. After some time he took back his knife and put it in his tunic's pocket. He looked at her squarely. "It was. During your stay in Gaea years before, this was where you hid in seclusion for almost two weeks."

Hitomi stared at him breathlessly. In her memory, she could confirm that she _had_, in fact, come to live here in Gaea. She felt its awareness calling out to her even when she was still known as Marlene. It was that same voice which led her into the path she was taking now, and now that she and paradise had been reunited, Hitomi felt that Gaea still had secrets to tell her.

"When you came here," Dryden began, producing a pair of small glasses from his other pocket. "The stars in the heavens have whispered continuously. They started murmuring about a rumor that a human have penetrated the gates of paradise." He looked at her. "That was you."

She blinked. "But how did I do it? I mean..." she looked around. "Enter paradise. How did I do it? I always thought humans cannot enter Gaea."

"They can, if they have permission," he said, looking at her meaningfully.

The honey-haired female gazed at him helplessly.

Dryden slowly walked to her and put both his hands on her shoulders. "Hitomi, I want to help you. But please understand that higher magic is at work here. I can only do so much for you. You _have_ to do something yourself in order for you to overcome it."

Her lips tipped downwards. "Dryden, I don't understand what you're saying."

"Think, Hitomi, _think_," he said insistently, squeezing her shoulders. "Or better yet, _feel_. Feel beyond the beauty and perfection you have in your life here. Don't you feel something else? Something important? Something... _missing_?"

Her frown deepened in confusion.

Dryden was about to say something more but the sound of footsteps from the rosebushes outside alerted him. He looked startled, Hitomi noticed. He stood up straight, backing at a respectful distance away from her just in time for the front door to open and let in a softly smiling Caleb.

"Lady Hitomi," he bowed. He turned to Dryden and bowed also. "Lord Dryden."

Dryden nodded slightly to him. Obviously, Dryden's remark about his position in the castle was a bit understated; if Hitomi would weigh the amount of respect the others were giving him. "I would have been off after I have delivered her breakfast, but the lady offered and I couldn't refuse." Hitomi sent a questioning look his way, but he stubbornly avoided her gaze.

"That is perfectly understandable, your majesty," the seneschal said.

Dryden adjusted his glasses. "Well, I'd be better off, then." He walked to the door and opened it. Halfway through, he turned around and bowed to Hitomi. "Until we meet, my lady," he said in a practiced tone of voice which made Hitomi annoyed. She was about to tell him that but when she met his gaze when he straightened slowly, she found her mouth unable to move.

His eyes were piercing; as if commanding her to understand what was going on.

He turned around and nodded to Caleb as he exited through the door.

All of a sudden, Hitomi had the sudden inexplicable urge to rush after him. "Dryden!" she called out.

The brown-haired angel turned in his steps and just looked at her silently.

She struggled to say all the words which would not spill out of her mouth. "Would you care to join me for dinner?" she asked.

For the longest time, Dryden stood standing perfectly still, like a bronze statue of an angel. He had that fathomless expression in his face, and Hitomi had just noticed how old he really looked. And then after a long while, he bowed slightly to her and smiled blandly. "I wouldn't miss it for anything, Hitomi."

And with that, Dryden left the house, his light boots making crunching noises as they trekked over the leaves, without so much as a glance behind his shoulders.

- - -

The breeze was light and smelled of sweet dusty perfume as Hitomi wound her way through the spiraling rose gardens. Caleb had informed her of the Ancient's whereabouts and had left her on her own upon the lady's insistence; insisting that she would not get lost and that he should really get back to his tasks. The day was absolutely perfect, but something Dryden had said made Hitomi feel a little downcast.

_Feel beyond the beauty and perfection you have in your life here. Don't you feel something else? Something important? Something... missing?_

Like an old gesture she used to do back home, she put a hand over her chest and felt the succession of heartbeats. _Am I missing something else? Am I missing someone important?_

It was too bad that hearts were not created with their own tongues to speak.

"My child," the Ancient Angel called out to her, which made Hitomi's jade eyes look up. "Why are you alone without an escort? Come sit beside me, child," Dornkirk said gently as he patted the empty space on the wooden bench to his right.

Hitomi meekly obeyed, not saying anything.

It was again the Elder who broke the long silence. "How is your life here so far, child?" he asked softly.

"It is more than enough," she replied softly. "Everything is just absolutely _perfect_. Of course, I never would have expected less from paradise…"

Dornkirk smiled. "We couldn't have offered you anything less, dear child." He sat silent for a moment. At length he cleared his throat and murmured gravely, "For I know that you have suffered a great deal when you were still down below."

Hitomi felt an enormous wave of self-pity that she seemed to weigh thrice as she was, and that her feet were pulling her down with it. She nodded and said nothing at the last statement the Ancient Angel said. Scenarios flitted across her thoughts as she remembered the blurry past of her life.

Dornkirk put down the cup of tea he was sipping and stared broodingly at the puffy white clouds drifting to the other side of the universe. "Life is a very strange thing. It is given to you; yet it is not yours to keep. You wake up from deep slumber and walk into the olden world with no knowledge of anything, and yet as you grow old seeking for that knowledge, the more you learn that you know nothing. It is an endless paradox; a balance of good and bad, life and death, black or white. You either stand up and live on your own, or let another entity guide you. You can either walk straight to what you think is right, or drift apart as your destiny dictates and both ending up on absolutely the same place."

Hitomi squared her shoulders and took in a deep, deep breath. "My Lord," she said softly. "What is my destiny?"

The Ancient Angel stared silently at the sky for quite a while. After a time, he answered her softly. "That is something that only you can know, dear child."

Hitomi lowered her head in somber sadness. "But one thing is for certain," Dornkirk added shortly. "Your place is here in paradise."

She took in another deep breath. "Somebody once taught me…" she began, and a vivid image of her Aunt Sora appeared inside her thoughts. "That our destiny is not contained into one straight path towards the end. She said that we constantly alter our fates with the things that we do; with the choices that we make."

The ancient Angel's back stiffened when he heard this, but he did not dare show it.

Hitomi continued talking. "She was the one who told me... that there is a choice I have to make upon reaching paradise. A choice that would decide the destiny of the _two_ destinies that are contesting each other." She looked at him imploringly. "What is the choice that I have to make?"

He had been dreading this question ever since she set foot on Gaea, and made all efforts to steer her away from it just long enough for him to make sure she chose the right choice. But it couldn't be helped now.

He sighed for a short while. "The choice is between this world and the one below, child," he replied, with which she gave him a puzzled look. "You have to choose which one of the worlds would cease and continue to exist; Earth or Gaea"

- - -

Late that night, when Hitomi lay on her bed, she stayed wide awake deep in thought about the gravity that suddenly befell upon her shoulders. _The end of the world or the end of paradise._ If Hitomi had been given the option between making the choice and throwing herself down the ravine on top of the mountain back home, she would have gladly ran off the cliff without so much as a second thought. How could she decide on something so huge in its entirety?

She turned to her side. She remembered the words of her Aunt Sora two days before. _You are an unstable entity hovering between heaven and earth; a mistake that was made on purpose to inflict the imbalance upon the soul and the flesh._

An imbalance? Something in this universe has made an imbalance upon life and death?

_You are an angel, though you are mortal. You are a human, though you have wings._

Was she was the born representation of that imbalance... the imbalance of mortality and immortality?

_You were born to correct the imbalance, Girl of Destiny, and you were given a very special power, and a very important task: the task to choose._

Hitomi turned again in her bed, facing directly the ceiling. She rested the back of one hand on her forehead and pursed her lips. It was then that she finally understood her fate. It was her destiny to _be_. Fate created her so the universe could move forward… away from the imperfection that has kept this world from evolving.

But why her?

Hitomi remembered what the priestess had answered back then. _Everything happens for a reason, Hitomi... everything has a purpose._ A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Her Aunt Sora had answers for everything. And then the smile turned into a sad one. If she will choose to end the decaying world below, she would never be with her Aunt Sora again.

Closing her eyes, Hitomi tried her best to calm her nerves as she willed herself to sleep. Whatever the reason or the purpose was, it would reveal itself tomorrow; on the day that she would make her decision.

Although Hitomi wished herself to, she did not dream that night, either.

- - -

Somewhere within the confines of his citadel, the Ancient Angel was having trouble sleeping himself.

He tossed and turned in his bed, weary and anxious of the events the next day would ensue. Will she choose to be with Gaea? Will she choose to be a mortal once more? Questions as senseless and as mundane kept cropping up in his thoughts even when he was finally drifting to the edge of dreams. It grew so irritatingly insistent at one point that he decided to get up and take a walk around the castle.

He was staring out into the perfect blissfulness of the night when a young angel came stumbling out of the corners and stopped when he saw him.

The young copper-haired lad limped towards him and started visibly. "M-My Lord!" he exclaimed, bowing deeply. "I am f-fortunate to c-come upon thee this here evening."

Dornkirk turned with some difficulty and acknowledged the boy's presence with a small nod.

"I hath been wanting to have an audience with thee, Most Ancient," he continued, voice shaking but at least his words were now straight. "But thou hath been so busy with affairs and matters of state that it could not hath been possible until this most unseemly hour."

The Ancient Angel thought it rude even for his standing if he would continue ignoring the boy. "And what is it that thou wanted to tell me?" he asked blandly.

The young angel bowed again. "My Lord, I was the one who last saw the Prince when He was bound, and I carry His parting words to thee."

Almost as intense as electricity flowing through his veins, the Elder jolted himself completely awake when he heard this. "_What?_" He shouted, surprising and scaring the poor boy. "Why didn't you come to me earlier?" he demanded, dropping the customary archaic speech.

The boy's face paled. "B-But my Lo-Lord," he trembled, his eyes darted from one place to another. "Th-Thou seemed so busy that I h-hath no chance of having an audience with thee…"

"You should have informed the guards that you are bearing Folken's message and demanded you be given audience or they will be given punishment!"

"Y-Yes my Lord, but—"

"Nevermind! What is it that my son wanted to tell me?" he demanded irritably.

The angel gulped down hard and looked at his feet. "While I was sealing the chains, he wounded my left leg with his magic, and the wound had not healed properly until about three days ago," he explained softly. "Back then, when he was finally exhausted from struggling against the legions, he murmured something that he instructed me to be passed on to his Highness."

Dornkirk held his breath.

The young angel looked up and let his eyes meet his master's, though for only a split-second. "It was just a few words, and it sounded so trivial that I did not think it held that much importance." The Elder was beginning to lose his patience when the boy suddenly said, "He said unto me, Most Holy, 'The blood will never cease to seek out its master.'"

Dornkirk blinked a couple of times, his expression unreadable. "The _blood_!"

The copper-haired lad nodded, shifting his weight from his bad leg to the other. "Yes, my Lord. 'The blood will never cease to seek out its master.' At once I thought it so trivial that I asked him to expound on it a bit further, but he had already drifted into eternal sleep…" his voice trailed off.

He did not even finish his story. The Ancient Angel was nowhere to be found.

- - -

The dawn inevitably came upon Gaea just as Hitomi was brushing away the last strands of sleep from her eyes. She stared absently as the world transformed itself from the pale, grayish color to a ruddy gold as the divine blazing star rose slowly to its place among the heavens. _Such a beautiful day,_ Hitomi thought. _Such a beautiful morning for the day that would come to an end._

She walked into the kitchen, staring at the untouched food from last night's dinner. Whatever promise Dryden made with her, he never returned to her house that night. She sighed and ate her breakfast quietly, her mind oddly calm even though her spirit was almost howling out in turbulence.

She had asked Dornkirk to give her some space and time for her to be able to ponder her decision carefully. He granted, but not before leaving her a warning.

"Be advised that the more time you choose to ignore and delay it, the harder and more painful the choice will be."

Hitomi had originally intended to have a talk with Dryden, but Caleb informed her that his Highness Dryden was busy that morning. So she was left to her own devices for the rest of the morning, until at sundown, when she promised the Ancient Angel that she would give her answer.

"Earth or Gaea… mortality or immortality…" she murmured against the wind.

She was standing on the edge of paradise, feeling the brisk wind brush against her. She had been wandering aimlessly for almost three hours, weighing the choice that has already formed in her mind. She would choose Gaea, she would choose paradise. As she looked around and saw the perfection all around her, how could she not choose to let this magnificent world exist? Besides, a lot of her friends and families gave up their lives just to make sure she reached her destination. She would not fail them.

As she pondered at her thoughts, Hitomi glanced up and saw the forming faint wisps of angry blue clouds on the horizon. Even though she knew the choice she was about to make, the heavens must have been sharing the storm brewing in her heart. She sighed, shaking her head. When she opened her eyes, the evergreen orbs fell upon life as it was on the world below.

She could see them, as clear as if she was standing there amongst them. The smoking, char-black land of what was of Merle and the twins' village. She could see the remnants of their straw huts and the communal hut where the congregation took place. Up further she could she the valley where Merle had been slain by the red-eyed demon Dilandau, though the grassy floor had been washed by the rain.

Everywhere she looked, she could see destruction and decay. The earth was manifesting all the years of abuse her kind had treated upon it. What was once green was now a pallid brown, and the landscape was like one long stretch of lifeless desert. What was once blue where the rivers and seas were was now a dirty, horrible gray mess. The world was dying, Hitomi knew, and it would take everyone else in its hopelessness.

As she traced her eyes along the horizon, she saw the neat village of her home. She eagerly set out for the village temple, where her Aunt Sora was. And not far away from there was the small house of Amano and Yukari, where from the window in their bedroom, she could see them playing a little tickling game with their daughter, Megumi.

She swiveled her head elsewhere, and she saw the forest where she had met the cat-girl, right below the cliff where she first caught a glimpse of her angel, Ontrose. Tears automatically came springing back at the memory of their sacrifice. _If there is justice in this life,_ Hitomi thought, _it is not in this world._

She was about to turn away from the painful memories when a short movement caught her eye. It was a column of pale smoke rising from the forest on the other side of the cliff. As she strained her eyes to see, she could clearly make out two people placing two pieces of incense sticks in front of a large gravestone.

Her eyes widened. The names of the people stuck out in her mind just as two pieces of golden wheat stuck out in a burned black field.

It was Millerna and Allen.

Breathlessly, she leaned closer to the edge, eager to see how two of the most central people in her life were. Millerna was kneeling and praying over the gravestone, and Allen stood beside her, with their backs toward Hitomi that she could not see their faces. Instead, Hitomi squinted her eyes and traced the chiseled letters onto the gravestone, and her eyes widened considerably when she read them.

It was a gravestone for _both_ Marlenes!

She let out a breath she had been unconsciously holding. She knew that at some point they would surely find the marker she made for Millerna's sister, but she did not expect them to include her in the blessing.

_To the one Marlene  
__Who gently came one day  
__And silently left one night.  
__May you find your peace._

_To the one Marlene  
__Who gently came one day  
__And silently left one night.  
__May you find your true self._

An overwhelming peace and sadness swept over her just as Millerna stood up after she had finished praying. The smile and happiness in her face was more than enough to make Hitomi believe that there _was_ justice in this world after all. And if that wasn't enough, when Allen turned and they walked away so that Hitomi could see them, her eyes brimmed and eventually spilled with tears of happiness.

Millerna was gently stroking her belly, which was slightly bulging with the weight of a new life forming inside of her

- - -

The sun was setting on the fairytale world of Gaea. Hitomi was sitting drenched to the bone by the bank of a wide river which flowed right to the edge of Gaea and cascade into a waterfall down to the oceans below. She had decided on a whim to take a dip—fully clothed in her blouse and tunic—to clear her head. A small smile was tugging at her lips at her own feeling of contentment with how things worked out for her loved ones. If only she could say the same thing about herself. Now that she had caught another glimpse at earth, the more uncertain she became of her decision.

Even though the world itself was dying, the people inhabiting it were still thriving. Even though the world itself was about to end, the people living in it were just about to start their story. Amano, Yukari, and even Allen and Millerna had just recently begun another chapter in their lives, and have just begun enjoying the rewards destiny had given them. What would happen if Hitomi chose to stay in Gaea? Will she be held responsible for ending the stories of her loved ones and their new families?

As she sat there, feeling the cold kiss of the wind on her wet skin, the more troubled and anxious she became. In comparison, Gaea was perfect, filled with happiness and fulfillment. But to whom? Only to those who are in it. They do not share their delight with the world below. Unlike the earth, where everything and everyone is connected even in the most obscure, bizarre way. Everyone shares in someone's glory, and everyone shares in someone's misfortune in one way or another. But in paradise, it was as if everything in it feels so detached, so devoid of emotion, even the angels look like faceless drones to her.

But that was where her confusion lay. Is she willing to subject the new world to pain and suffering? For Hitomi was sure that if she chose the earth, there would be endless suffering like what she had experienced.

She pinched her eyes shut. She wanted to get herself away from those memories. And here in paradise, she knew she could be free.

The pendant glowed a warm pink.

"Dear child," an aged voice said behind her.

Hitomi turned her head and saw the Elder Dornkirk standing behind her, holding a massive sword that was sheathed in a gold scabbard dotted with rubies. "Art thou ready?"

The formality of the question required Hitomi to be formal herself, no matter how wet she was. She stood up and faced him. "Yes," she replied, though deep down inside she knew that was not true.

Dornkirk nodded gravely. "Know this once, Girl of Destiny, that in this place, once a choice was made, it can never be unmade."

Hitomi swallowed and nodded.

At this, the Elder seemed to relax a bit. "You are wet," he said, more to comment than to reprimand. His eyes fell innocently upon the glowing stone on her breastbone, and a sparkle of interest glimmered in his eyes. "What a beautiful piece of jewelry. I believe I have never seen anything like it."

Hitomi looked down on the gemstone peeping coyly above the collar of her tunic as well. Normally she kept the pendant under her clothes for she liked the feeling of its warm face on her bare skin, but she guessed that it had floated out from her tunic when she was swimming in the river. "I've had it even before what I could remember," she replied.

"Such a beautiful jewel… even more beautiful than the purest of rubies! I say, child, you wouldn't mind showing it to me for a while, would you?"

Hitomi was puzzled by his request, but it seemed innocent enough that she nodded and undid the latch of the necklace on her nape.

She held out her hand to Dornkirk, the jewel swinging like a pendulum beneath her stretched hand.

As Dornkirk was about to eagerly seize it, the crimson jewel burst a glow of angry red.

A stone as big as a peach pit flew from somewhere and hit Hitomi's hand, causing her to let go of the necklace as it fell with a small plop into the eddying waters of the river. She let out a small yelp from surprise, and the Elder spun around with a startled oath. A lone angel was standing on a high hill a few feet away from them, his brown hair flowing like ocean waves in the stormy wind.

It was Dryden. "Hitomi! Don't let him take the pendant away from you!" he shouted urgently.

Hitomi was shocked and confused.

Dornkirk's face contorted into an emotion of anger that Hitomi had never seen before. "_Dryden!_" he thundered. "What are you saying? Do you know what you are doing?" As he was saying these, Caleb and a score of guards have found their way towards Dryden.

"I know perfectly well what I am doing. In fact, I should have done this a long time ago." A guard had reached him and hit his head with the butt of his sword that he fell to his knees, groaning.

"Dryden!" Hitomi shouted.

"Get the necklace, Hitomi! Don't ever lose sight of it! It will lead you to where you should be!" Dryden shouted at her while his hands were being bound by ropes which burned the flesh.

Hitomi was so confused of what to do but she searched the waters for the pendant, finding that the Elder had discarded the sword and was doing the same thing. A faint glimmer of red light caught the corner of her eye and she found that the jewel was drifting in the current toward the waterfall on the edge of the lake.

Both Dornkirk and Hitomi dashed for it.

Dornkirk was huge. Even though he was old, one stride of his legs was about three times as Hitomi's. He was ahead of her and she was aghast to see him bend down with a triumphant cry to pick up the red jewel.

Just then, a single bolt of lightning stuck the Elder's hand, and the jewel fell again.

And _that_ was why storm clouds have gathered over the eternally sunny paradise. It was there so that it could strike the Ancient Angel at this particular place and time.

The Elder was unharmed, but his eyes were wide with shock as he turned to face the Prince of the Elements angrily.

Dryden's answering grin was as vicious as it was reckless. "It was because of _him_ that I was able to have a second shot of life in Gaea. I owe Hitomi my life and beyond."

Dornkirk's face creased into the deadliest expression Hitomi had ever seen, and the sky darkened as he strode towards the kneeling angel who had summoned the storm that morning. The Elder's right hand was positioned like a claw, and in it he was holding a gathering ball of pure energy.

In all this confusion, the neglected pendant was about to fall down along the waterfall but Hitomi caught it just in time. Not a moment too soon that she had latched it back on her neck, the stormy clouds surrounding Gaea parted, revealing to her a small, windswept island off the coast of the great ocean. The sun shone directly on the island, and the pendant grew heavy as it dipped downwards and burst into an intense blue light which suffused her entirely.

"Look, Hitomi," Dryden whispered. "Look at your destiny."

And Hitomi saw. She saw a young man with messy raven hair and caramel skin tying a small boat on the wharf. His calloused hands were expertly tying the knots which would keep the boat from drifting away. As he looped and tugged and pulled at the thick rope, his lean muscles rippled on his bare arm and chest, and even though he was lean and not overly muscular, she could feel the strength that was deceitfully hidden within him.

All at once he stopped, as if someone called out his name. Hitomi felt her heart skip a beat. Slowly, he turned his face upwards to the sky, and his soft, melancholy wine-colored eyes gazed directly to the heavens, to the floating world he could not see.

To Hitomi.

Everything around her fell into silence. Tears fell one after another from her eyes. She was clutching the glowing pendant on her chest. Hitomi trembled all over as all of the angels watched her with apprehension and shaken faces.

It was then she remembered everything.

"Van," she whispered.

_Tsuzuku_

* * *

"_But you still love her," she pointed out._

"_Of course I do," he replied without a second thought. "And I will carry this burden with me until the heavens turn to ash. Frankly, I believe I wouldn't be what I am now without it. Before, I lived—no, I existed—solely for her approval, and in some ways, I probably still do. Even if we are worlds apart, I am grateful to have a piece of her in me—even if it's just this thorn. It is this curse that makes me part human, Hitomi; it is what makes me whole."_

* * *

Footnotes:

_Okay, I won't give myself any excuses; I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter, that's why it came out so late. The middle part was lacking something that would tie it with the intensity in the end. I knew where I was going, I just didn't know where to get there. But, thanks for all those who helped, I finally got there. I hope you guys like this chapter and it didn't bore you._

_Before I forget, this chapter is dedicated to my dog, Honey, who was such a dear that she refused to stay off my lap while I was typing the last parts of this so I would not drift to sleep. I love you, sweetness, I'll make you a special dinner one of these nights._

_The next chapter will probably be the most important chapter in the whole story, and, yeah, I just pressured myself. Gee. Anyway, the next chapter will _not_ be the last, but we are almost at the end. Hang in there!_

_Thank you!_

_Sadame X  
__Defy your destiny._


	11. What is Left UNTOUCHED

**AUGUST 4, 2011**

_Ojamashimasu!_ I don't know if anyone ever visits my page anymore, as I have been inactive for _more than 5 years_. But! As I have told you before (in 2006... Okay, okay, I've been busy), **I IS NOT DEAD**... yet. XD

Long story short, I've finished **medical school** (reason for being busy) and I'm just waiting for the results of the **professional licensure exam** (reason for having oodles for free time for now) which will arrive in... 3 weeks. I want to be active in here again and finish my fanfics, especially _Piece of Her Wings_, because if I don't the storyline might die in my head. As such, I am planning to rewrite the posted 10 chapters of _Piece of Her Wings_ because as I reread it I was constantly groaning at my inept grasp of skills. Granted, the years might not have improved me much, but at least I can correct most of the mistakes I did before.

I will be updating **once every week, once every two weeks at the most**. I will be concentrating on _Piece of Her Wings_ because my other fanfic (_There He Is_) has been on a stalemate since I lost its cheat sheet, having been used as a scratch paper for computing **medication dosages** early in my college education.

So there you have it! I hope my redone _Piece of Her Wings_ will find its way to its old and hopefully new audiences. Also, I'd like to note that _this _story,_ Piece of Her Wings UNTOUCHED_, will** not** be updated anymore. Please wait for me to **rewrite the ten chapters** which I will be uploading into a **new** submitted story (the title would still be _Piece of Her Wings_). Please bear with me!

Thank you very much!

Lots of love and chocolate!  
_Sadame X_


	12. Clearing the Air

**August 5, 2011**

Especially for Ms. **Michaela... :)**

A **HUGE** thank you for patiently waiting. Another **HUGE **thank you for understanding my situation. It's people like you who really motivate us humble writers here. Much love!

To clear up any confusion, I'm **not** going to write a new story. :) I'm going to finish _Piece of Her Wings_, with the **original storyline** from way back 2004. I only wanted to **clean up the 10 chapters first**. I want to correct any **grammatical or structural mistakes** that I'm sure I've made before. I am also going to **change the names of some characters**, namely **Ontrose and Kamion**; I admit that I **borrowed** them from **David and Leigh Eddings' books**, so I would like to change their names and appearances into something **wholly mine**. Also, I have to admit that some of the finer points of the story have been lost through the years (I lost my cheat sheet of the storyline, but I remember the general idea of things), so in my rereading the whole 10 chapters, I should pick them up again. If anything will be changed, **some minor changes in words or sentences**, but the overall flow of the storyline will remain **UNCHANGED**. :)

This story, _Piece of Her Wings UNTOUCHED_, will **not** be updated anymore because this will now just serve as a **rough draft**. The cleaned-up chapters will be published in a **separate story in my profile**, still titled _Piece of Her Wings_, and still **having the same storyline**. I just kept this old one so I can alert my few readers. But once the clean-up of the 10 chapters is complete, I will **delete** _UNTOUCHED_, and upload the last few chapters in the **newly submitted title**.

I hope this clears up any confusion. Again, I **thank you** deeply for hanging for the remaining few chapters. I will do my best and hope that what I will write will not disappoint you. :)

Lots of love and chocolate!

_Sadame X_


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